Discover · Cost of Living

Cost of Living in Cape Town

Typical monthly costs by neighbourhood and household type. The figures are averages, with sources and dates below.

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The address report

The true cost and return of an address

Choose a suburb and a home type. We show the asking price, what the home costs to run each month, what it earns if you let it, and how you get around. Every number has a source and a date (last compiled September 2026). Where we have no number, we say so. Living costs by household are further down.

Suburb

Sea Point One-bed flat

Asking price

R4,700,000

47 listings, September 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R49,304

Of which the bond

R42,944

A one-bed flat in Sea Point is listed at about R4,700,000. It costs about R6,360 a month to run: R3,360 in rates and fixed charges, plus a levy of about R3,000 (one flat's bill, not a survey). A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R42,944 a month, so budget about R49,304 in all. Let at R20,500 a month, it earns 5.2% a year before costs, or 3.5% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R4,700,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R2,383
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R392
Levy observation: R3,000
Monthly running costs: R6,360
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R42,944
Total with a bond: R49,304

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), September 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 47 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Sea Point CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT.
Levy: Levy statement for one 40 m² studio in Sea Point (our own), September 2026. One scheme, one flat. Levies differ from building to building; ask for the levy statement before you compare two addresses.
Monthly running costs: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates, fixed charges and the levy. Insurance, repairs and the bond are not in this total.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R20,500
What the landlord keeps a month: R13,786
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.5 times
Gross yield: 5.2%
Net yield: 3.5%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R3,886 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 46 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R2,737 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R6,623 a month instead of R2,737. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Sea Point

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 3.3 km
MyCiTi bus: Routes 105 and 108
Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Managed parking zone: Yes

Not compiled yet: Bay included, or what a bay adds, Tariff and hours, Resident permit eligibility, Nearest off-street garage and monthly rate, Restrictions (City On Street Parking layer), Evening scarcity (our observation).

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
MyCiTi bus: MyCiTi system map, 10 March 2026, March 2026. Route 105 Sea Point to Civic Centre; route 108 Hout Bay to Sea Point.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.
Managed parking zone: City of Cape Town media release: parking marshals return to Sea Point, CBD, Newlands, Claremont and Bellville, October 2021. Kerbside parking on the main commercial streets is managed by marshals and charged per 15 minutes. The 2026/27 tariff and hours are not compiled yet.

Green Point One-bed flat

Asking price

R4,500,000

16 listings, September 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R44,341

Of which the bond

R41,117

A one-bed flat in Green Point is listed at about R4,500,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R3,225 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R41,117 a month, so budget about R44,341 in all, before the levy. Let at R19,500 a month, it earns 5.2% a year before costs, or 4.2% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R4,500,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R2,267
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R373
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R3,225
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R41,117
Total with a bond: R44,341

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), September 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 16 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Green Point CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R19,500
What the landlord keeps a month: R15,922
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.4 times
Gross yield: 5.2%
Net yield: 4.2%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R3,721 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 27 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R2,620 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R6,341 a month instead of R2,620. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Green Point

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 2.2 km
Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Not compiled yet: Bay included, or what a bay adds, Managed parking zone, Tariff and hours, Resident permit eligibility, Nearest off-street garage and monthly rate, Restrictions (City On Street Parking layer), Evening scarcity (our observation).

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Gardens One-bed flat

Asking price

R2,575,000

23 listings, September 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R25,585

Of which the bond

R23,528

A one-bed flat in Gardens is listed at about R2,575,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R2,057 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R23,528 a month, so budget about R25,585 in all, before the levy. Let at R18,000 a month, it earns 8.4% a year before costs, or 7.3% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R2,575,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R1,142
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R330
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R2,057
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R23,528
Total with a bond: R25,585

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), September 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 23 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Lower Gardens CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT. The CID covers only the lower part of Gardens.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R18,000
What the landlord keeps a month: R15,590
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.3 times
Gross yield: 8.4%
Net yield: 7.3%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R2,133 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 29 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R1,495 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R3,629 a month instead of R1,495. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Gardens

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 1.7 km
MyCiTi bus: Route 104
Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
MyCiTi bus: MyCiTi system map, 10 March 2026, March 2026. Oranjezicht, Gardens, Adderley and the Waterfront.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

De Waterkant One-bed flat

Asking price

Not compiled

A month, with a 90% bond

Not compiled

Of which the bond

Not compiled

We do not have a price for a one-bed flat in De Waterkant yet. The fixed charges every home pays are R585 a month for water, sanitation and electricity.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424

Not compiled yet: Purchase price, Rates on the 2025 valuation, CID levy, Levy, Monthly running costs, without the levy, Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years), Total with a bond.

Sources and notes

Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Not compiled yet: Asking rent, What the landlord keeps a month, Rent against a typical household's income, Gross yield, Net yield.

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
Not compiled

Sources and notes

AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.

Getting around De Waterkant

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Camps Bay One-bed flat

Asking price

R5,000,000

18 listings, February 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R49,205

Of which the bond

R45,685

A one-bed flat in Camps Bay is listed at about R5,000,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R3,519 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R45,685 a month, so budget about R49,205 in all, before the levy. Let at R22,500 a month, it earns 5.4% a year before costs, or 4.5% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

older than six months Prices and rents come from listings in February 2026. We are updating them.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R5,000,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R2,559
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R376
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R3,519
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R45,685
Total with a bond: R49,205

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), February 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 18 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Camps Bay CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R22,500
What the landlord keeps a month: R18,627
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.6 times
Gross yield: 5.4%
Net yield: 4.5%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R4,134 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), February 2026. Median asking rent. 52 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, February 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R2,912 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R7,046 a month instead of R2,912. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Camps Bay

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 5.1 km
MyCiTi bus: Routes 106 and 107
Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
MyCiTi bus: MyCiTi system map, 10 March 2026, March 2026. Camps Bay to Civic Centre, clockwise and anticlockwise.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Woodstock One-bed flat

Asking price

R1,600,000

60 listings, September 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R15,776

Of which the bond

R14,619

A one-bed flat in Woodstock is listed at about R1,600,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R1,157 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R14,619 a month, so budget about R15,776 in all, before the levy. Let at R13,500 a month, it earns 10.1% a year before costs, or 9.0% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond. That yield is unusually high for Cape Town. The rent and price medians may come from different kinds of flat, so treat it with care.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R1,600,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R572
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: None on residential
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R1,157
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R14,619
Total with a bond: R15,776

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), September 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 60 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. The Woodstock CID levies an additional rate on non-residential property only (0.001695); residential is listed as N/A.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R13,500
What the landlord keeps a month: R11,990
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.0 times
Gross yield: 10.1%
Net yield: 9.0%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R1,329 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 28 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026. That yield is unusually high for Cape Town. The rent and price medians may come from different kinds of flat, so treat it with care.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R926 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R2,255 a month instead of R926. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Woodstock

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 1.8 km
Metrorail: Woodstock station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, station page, September 2026. PRASA station. Service levels change; check the current timetable.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Observatory One-bed flat

Asking price

R2,100,000

26 listings, September 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R20,861

Of which the bond

R19,188

A one-bed flat in Observatory is listed at about R2,100,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R1,673 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R19,188 a month, so budget about R20,861 in all, before the levy. Let at R14,500 a month, it earns 8.3% a year before costs, or 7.1% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R2,100,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R865
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R224
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R1,673
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R19,188
Total with a bond: R20,861

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), September 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 26 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Observatory CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R14,500
What the landlord keeps a month: R12,473
Rent against a typical household's income: 1.0 times
Gross yield: 8.3%
Net yield: 7.1%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R1,741 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 21 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R1,218 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R2,959 a month instead of R1,218. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Observatory

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 4.6 km
Metrorail: Observatory station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, station page, September 2026. PRASA station. Service levels change; check the current timetable.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Claremont One-bed flat

Asking price

R1,575,000

8 listings, February 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R15,653

Of which the bond

R14,391

A one-bed flat in Claremont is listed at about R1,575,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R1,262 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R14,391 a month, so budget about R15,653 in all, before the levy. Let at R13,000 a month, it earns 9.9% a year before costs, or 8.7% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R1,575,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R558
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: R119
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R1,262
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R14,391
Total with a bond: R15,653

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), February 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 8 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Includes 15% VAT. Claremont CID, approved residential additional rate-in-the-rand for 2026/27, excluding VAT.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R13,000
What the landlord keeps a month: R11,385
Rent against a typical household's income: 0.9 times
Gross yield: 9.9%
Net yield: 8.7%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R1,308 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 8 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R911 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R2,219 a month instead of R911. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Claremont

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 7.5 km
Metrorail: Claremont station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Managed parking zone: Yes

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, station page, September 2026. PRASA station. Service levels change; check the current timetable.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.
Managed parking zone: City of Cape Town media release: parking marshals return to Sea Point, CBD, Newlands, Claremont and Bellville, October 2021. Kerbside parking on the main commercial streets is managed by marshals and charged per 15 minutes. The 2026/27 tariff and hours are not compiled yet.

Rondebosch One-bed flat

Asking price

R1,945,000

8 listings, October 2026

A month, with a 90% bond

R19,130

Of which the bond

R17,772

A one-bed flat in Rondebosch is listed at about R1,945,000. Rates and fixed charges come to about R1,359 a month. Add the levy, which we do not have yet and which is often the biggest cost. A 90% bond at today's prime (10.75%) over 20 years adds about R17,772 a month, so budget about R19,130 in all, before the levy. Let at R13,000 a month, it earns 8.0% a year before costs, or 7.0% after running costs at a landlord's rates, before the bond.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Purchase price: R1,945,000
Rates on the 2025 valuation: R774
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424
CID levy: None on residential
Monthly running costs, without the levy: R1,359
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): R17,772
Total with a bond: R19,130

Not compiled yet: Levy.

Sources and notes

Purchase price: Same listing portals as the rent figure (median asking prices), October 2026. Median asking price, not a sale price. 8 listings.
Rates on the 2025 valuation: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Uses the asking price as a stand-in for the 2025 municipal valuation. Your bill uses your own valuation. Residential rate-in-the-rand 0.007010 after the R620,000 reduction for a primary residence. Residential rate-in-the-rand, 2026/27, zero-rated for VAT.
Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.
CID levy: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. No city improvement district in the City's 2026/27 list charges homes in Rondebosch. The nearby Groote Schuur CID charges businesses only.
Monthly running costs, without the levy: Sum of the lines above, September 2026. Rates and fixed charges only. The levy is not in yet, and it is often the biggest cost.
Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years): SAnews, MPC raises repo rate to 7.25% (SARB repo 7.25% plus the banks' 3.50% margin), September 2026. On the asking price less a 10% deposit, at prime of 10.75%, repaid over 20 years. Effective 25 September 2026, after the Reserve Bank raised the repo rate by a quarter point on 23 September. Its next rate decision is on 19 November 2026, so this can move. Banks lend above or below prime depending on the borrower.
Total with a bond: Running costs plus the bond repayment, September 2026.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Asking rent: R13,000
What the landlord keeps a month: R11,288
Rent against a typical household's income: 0.9 times
Gross yield: 8.0%
Net yield: 7.0%

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
+R1,613 a month

Sources and notes

Asking rent: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents), September 2026. Median asking rent. 26 listings.
What the landlord keeps a month: Asking rent less the running costs above, September 2026. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
Rent against a typical household's income: Asking rent against the Cape Town median household income of R14,133, September 2026.
Gross yield: Asking rent × 12 ÷ asking price, September 2026.
Net yield: From the owner costs above, September 2026. After running costs, with rates of R1,127 a month because a let property loses the primary-residence reduction. Before insurance, repairs, empty months, tax and any bond.
AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.
Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027: STBB, Unpacking the City of Cape Town's proposed Short-Term Letting By-law, August 2026. Commercial rate-in-the-rand 0.016910 with no reduction: R2,741 a month instead of R1,127. Draft by-law, open for comment until 5 October 2026. A property available for short-term letting for more than half of its annual room nights would be rated as commercial. The start date is not fixed in the draft; 1 July 2027 is the first rates year it could apply to.

Getting around Rondebosch

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

Distance to the city centre: 7.2 km
Metrorail: Rondebosch station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

Distance to the city centre: Straight line from the neighbourhood centre to Cape Town station, September 2026. As the crow flies, not the road distance.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, station page, September 2026. PRASA station. Service levels change; check the current timetable.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Parklands One-bed flat

Asking price

Not compiled

A month, with a 90% bond

Not compiled

Of which the bond

Not compiled

We do not have a price for a one-bed flat in Parklands yet. The fixed charges every home pays are R585 a month for water, sanitation and electricity.

Cost to own

Per month, except the price.

Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): R160
Electricity fixed charge: R424

Not compiled yet: Purchase price, Rates on the 2025 valuation, CID levy, Levy, Monthly running costs, without the levy, Bond repayment (90% bond at prime, 20 years), Total with a bond.

Sources and notes

Water and sanitation fixed charge (15 mm meter): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Water R103.65 plus sanitation R56.56. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay their share through the levy instead. Residential water fixed basic charge per meter per month, including VAT. 12 mm to 22 mm meters pay the same.
Electricity fixed charge: City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: rates and tariffs (extract of Annexure 6, Tariffs, Fees and Charges Book), July 2026. Home User service charge per month, including VAT. Applies to residential properties valued at R1 million or more; prepaid customers below that pay the Domestic or Lifeline tariff instead.

If it were let

A long lease at the asking rent.

Not compiled yet: Asking rent, What the landlord keeps a month, Rent against a typical household's income, Gross yield, Net yield.

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

AirDNA 61% $168 a night

Airbtics 71% R1,719 a night

AirROI 43.1% $193 a night

Our read on occupancy: 61% (range 43.1% to 71%)
Our read on the nightly rate: Not compiled

Cape Town as a whole. No vendor publishes a suburb figure openly.

draft by-law Rates uplift if treated as commercial from 1 July 2027
Not compiled

Sources and notes

AirDNA: AirDNA, Cape Town market overview, July 2026. Trailing twelve months, 30,814 active listings. Read from the indexed page text; the page itself blocks direct access. Average daily rate in US dollars, trailing twelve months.
Airbtics: Airbtics, Cape Town annual Airbnb revenue, March 2026. February 2025 to January 2026, 17,889 active listings. Average daily rate in rand, February 2025 to January 2026.
AirROI: AirROI, Cape Town market report, July 2026. August 2025 to July 2026, 15,617 active listings. Average daily rate in US dollars, August 2025 to July 2026.
Short-let occupancy, our read: Our reconciliation, September 2026. The middle of the three vendor figures, shown with the full range. The vendors count between 15,617 and 30,814 listings and define an available night differently, so the figures are not measuring the same thing. All three are for Cape Town as a whole; none publishes a suburb figure openly, so the suburb number is not compiled.

Getting around Parklands

With a car, and without one.

Without a car

MyCiTi bus: Trunk T01 via Table View
Metrorail: No station
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): 06:45 to 08:00 and 16:15 to 17:30

With a car

Sources and notes

MyCiTi bus: MyCiTi system map, 10 March 2026, March 2026. Feeders from Parklands join the T01 trunk at Table View for the Civic Centre and Waterfront.
Metrorail: Metrorail Southern Line, route, September 2026. No Metrorail station in the suburb.
Busiest times on the road (weekdays): City of Cape Town, public notice of the approved 2026/27 budget: MyCiTi fare peak periods, July 2026. The City's own definition of the weekday peak, used for MyCiTi fares. It is city-wide, not measured on this suburb's roads.

Something wrong or out of date?

What this means for you

If you rent

The rent shown is the middle of current listings. Few listings means a rough figure. The owner pays the costs above, and they set the floor under the rent you are asked.

Get a report for your address

If you buy

In a flat the levy is often the biggest monthly cost, and it differs from building to building. Ask for the levy statement before you compare two addresses.

Get a report for your address

If you short-let

The three data vendors disagree on how full Cape Town short-lets are, so treat any single figure with care. The commercial rates line comes from a draft by-law that may still change.

Get a report for your address

Cost to live here, by household

R14,142

≈ €762 · $853

Cheapest area · Philippi

R25,392

≈ €1,368 · $1,532

Typical (median area)

R50,642

≈ €2,728 · $3,056

Priciest area · Clifton

R10,642

≈ €573 · $642

Everything except rent

R34,000–R42,500

Income needed, typical area (net)

      Single person:
      expect R14,142 a month in Philippi up to R50,642 in Clifton. The typical neighbourhood comes to R25,392, about 1.8× the Cape Town median household income. Rent is the only line that changes by area; everything else adds roughly R10,642.
      
      Living there comfortably takes roughly R34,000–R42,500 in take-home pay a month.

Data status

Figures reviewed 6 October 2026
Rent listings from February 2026 to October 2026 older than six months
Next refresh: Transport, November 2026
€ and $ at the October 2026 average: R18.57 per €, R16.57 per $

For context, the median household income in Cape Town is about R14,133/month (Median household income in 2023, City of Cape Town metro (per household, not per person), Stats SA IES 2022/23 (reference period Nov 2022 - Nov 2023)). The income-needed band assumes these costs take 60–75% of take-home pay, leaving the rest for savings, leisure, debt and one-offs.

Choosing between areas? Compare districts side by side: official SAPS crime mix, recent incident reports and typical rents.

Where it costs more (and less)

Each neighbourhood is shaded by its estimated total monthly cost for the selected household. Click a neighbourhood to see what makes up the cost.

Cheaper Pricier

Housing (rent)UtilitiesFoodHealthcareTransportEducationInternet, security & insurance

About the rent figure: Median monthly ASKING rent for a 1-bedroom flat (2-bedroom for the family profile) in each neighbourhood - for the whole home, NOT per person. Each neighbourhood links to its own listings; sample size (n = number of listings) varies, shown in the table. Source: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents) (February 2026).

Compare neighbourhoods

Search for an area, or tap a region to open it and spotlight it on the map. Regions are listed priciest first.

Monthly city-wide costs

These apply roughly anywhere in the city. Rent is what varies by neighbourhood.

Electricity

R1,500

≈ €81 · $91

R1,130–R1,850

tariff

Water & sanitation

R595

≈ €32 · $36

R387–R1,000

tariff

Groceries (per person)

R957

≈ €52 · $58

estimate

Private medical aid (per adult) optional

R3,980

≈ €214 · $240

R1,961–R3,980

market rate

Home internet (uncapped fibre)

R550

≈ €30 · $33

R497–R727

market rate

Transport

R2,060

≈ €111 · $124

R1,400–R2,700

estimate

School fees (per child) with children

R1,500

≈ €81 · $91

R0–R11,500

estimate

Security / armed response optional

R700

≈ €38 · $42

R400–R1,000

market rate

Household contents insurance optional

R300

≈ €16 · $18

R240–R340

estimate

Full breakdown by neighbourhood

Tap a column heading to sort. Use the search above to filter.

					Rent listings
Philippi	R14,142 1.0× · ≈ €762 · $853	R21,410 1.5× · ≈ €1,153 · $1,292	R31,974 2.3× · ≈ €1,722 · $1,929	1.0/10 Guide rating	15 listings · February 2026
Ottery	R18,042 1.3× · ≈ €972 · $1,089	R25,310 1.8× · ≈ €1,363 · $1,527	R36,474 2.6× · ≈ €1,965 · $2,201	4.0/10 Guide rating	26 listings · February 2026
Parow	R18,892 1.3× · ≈ €1,018 · $1,140	R26,160 1.9× · ≈ €1,409 · $1,578	R37,474 2.7× · ≈ €2,018 · $2,261	6.0/10 Guide rating	22 listings · September 2026
Walmer Estate	R19,642 1.4× · ≈ €1,058 · $1,185	R26,910 1.9× · ≈ €1,449 · $1,624	R41,974 3.0× · ≈ €2,261 · $2,533	6.5/10 Guide rating	8 listings · February 2026
Bellville & Durbanville	R20,642 1.5× · ≈ €1,112 · $1,245	R27,910 2.0× · ≈ €1,503 · $1,684	R39,474 2.8× · ≈ €2,126 · $2,382	7.0/10 Guide rating	48 listings · September 2026
Somerset West	R21,142 1.5× · ≈ €1,139 · $1,276	R28,410 2.0× · ≈ €1,530 · $1,714	R41,474 2.9× · ≈ €2,234 · $2,502	6.5/10 Guide rating	69 listings · September 2026
Muizenberg	R22,642 1.6× · ≈ €1,220 · $1,366	R29,910 2.1× · ≈ €1,611 · $1,805	R42,474 3.0× · ≈ €2,288 · $2,563	6.0/10 Guide rating	8 listings · September 2026
Oranjezicht	R23,142 1.6× · ≈ €1,246 · $1,396	R30,410 2.2× · ≈ €1,638 · $1,835	R54,474 3.9× · ≈ €2,934 · $3,287	6.2/10 Guide rating	24 listings · February 2026
Claremont	R23,642 1.7× · ≈ €1,273 · $1,426	R30,910 2.2× · ≈ €1,665 · $1,865	R44,474 3.1× · ≈ €2,395 · $2,683	7.5/10 Guide rating	8 listings · September 2026
Rondebosch	R23,642 1.7× · ≈ €1,273 · $1,426	R30,910 2.2× · ≈ €1,665 · $1,865	R44,474 3.1× · ≈ €2,395 · $2,683	7.5/10 Guide rating	26 listings · September 2026
Woodstock	R24,142 1.7× · ≈ €1,300 · $1,457	R31,410 2.2× · ≈ €1,692 · $1,895	R44,474 3.1× · ≈ €2,395 · $2,683	6.5/10 Guide rating	28 listings · September 2026
Kalk Bay	R24,642 1.7× · ≈ €1,327 · $1,487	R31,910 2.3× · ≈ €1,719 · $1,925	R48,474 3.4× · ≈ €2,611 · $2,925	6.7/10 Ward Safety Index	16 listings · February 2026
Stellenbosch	R24,642 1.7× · ≈ €1,327 · $1,487	R31,910 2.3× · ≈ €1,719 · $1,925	R43,974 3.1× · ≈ €2,369 · $2,653	6.5/10 Guide rating	78 listings · September 2026
Observatory	R25,142 1.8× · ≈ €1,354 · $1,517	R32,410 2.3× · ≈ €1,746 · $1,955	R44,474 3.1× · ≈ €2,395 · $2,683	6.2/10 Ward Safety Index	21 listings · September 2026
Bo-Kaap	R25,642 1.8× · ≈ €1,381 · $1,547	R32,910 2.3× · ≈ €1,773 · $1,986	R45,474 3.2× · ≈ €2,449 · $2,744	6.5/10 Guide rating	22 listings · February 2026
Bloubergstrand	R26,642 1.9× · ≈ €1,435 · $1,607	R33,910 2.4× · ≈ €1,826 · $2,046	R44,474 3.1× · ≈ €2,395 · $2,683	5.7/10 Guide rating	9 listings · September 2026
Hout Bay	R26,642 1.9× · ≈ €1,435 · $1,607	R33,910 2.4× · ≈ €1,826 · $2,046	R46,974 3.3× · ≈ €2,530 · $2,834	5.5/10 Guide rating	27 listings · September 2026
Vredehoek	R28,142 2.0× · ≈ €1,516 · $1,698	R35,410 2.5× · ≈ €1,907 · $2,137	R53,474 3.8× · ≈ €2,880 · $3,226	7.5/10 Guide rating	10 listings · September 2026
Simon's Town	R28,392 2.0× · ≈ €1,529 · $1,713	R35,660 2.5× · ≈ €1,921 · $2,152	R48,474 3.4× · ≈ €2,611 · $2,925	5.2/10 Ward Safety Index	8 listings · October 2026
Gardens	R28,642 2.0× · ≈ €1,543 · $1,728	R35,910 2.5× · ≈ €1,934 · $2,167	R47,974 3.4× · ≈ €2,584 · $2,895	7.0/10 Guide rating	29 listings · September 2026
Tamboerskloof	R29,642 2.1× · ≈ €1,597 · $1,788	R36,910 2.6× · ≈ €1,988 · $2,227	R53,474 3.8× · ≈ €2,880 · $3,226	6.7/10 Guide rating	12 listings · September 2026
Green Point	R30,142 2.1× · ≈ €1,624 · $1,819	R37,410 2.6× · ≈ €2,015 · $2,257	R58,474 4.1× · ≈ €3,150 · $3,528	6.2/10 Guide rating	27 listings · September 2026
Sea Point	R31,142 2.2× · ≈ €1,677 · $1,879	R38,410 2.7× · ≈ €2,069 · $2,318	R61,474 4.3× · ≈ €3,311 · $3,709	8.0/10 Guide rating	46 listings · September 2026
Bantry Bay	R31,642 2.2× · ≈ €1,704 · $1,909	R38,910 2.8× · ≈ €2,096 · $2,348	R63,974 4.5× · ≈ €3,446 · $3,860	7.7/10 Ward Safety Index	34 listings · February 2026
Constantia	R31,642 2.2× · ≈ €1,704 · $1,909	R38,910 2.8× · ≈ €2,096 · $2,348	R54,474 3.9× · ≈ €2,934 · $3,287	9.0/10 Guide rating	6 listings · October 2026
Camps Bay	R33,142 2.3× · ≈ €1,785 · $2,000	R40,410 2.9× · ≈ €2,177 · $2,438	R61,474 4.3× · ≈ €3,311 · $3,709	9.0/10 Guide rating	52 listings · February 2026
Franschhoek	R34,642 2.5× · ≈ €1,866 · $2,090	R41,910 3.0× · ≈ €2,257 · $2,529	R48,474 3.4× · ≈ €2,611 · $2,925	7.5/10 Guide rating	11 listings · October 2026
Clifton	R50,642 3.6× · ≈ €2,728 · $3,056	R57,910 4.1× · ≈ €3,119 · $3,494	R111,474 7.9× · ≈ €6,004 · $6,726	8.9/10 Guide rating	12 listings · February 2026

Safety rating: the guide rating is our editorial assessment from the neighbourhood guide; where an area has no guide yet the Ward Safety Index stands in and is labelled. Each profile shows both numbers with their dates. Both are scored 0–10; higher is safer. How the score is built

How we calculate this

Estimates only. City-wide baseline costs are typical figures with sources and dates below; actual costs vary by household, property, usage, and supplier. Rents are median asking rents from dated listing samples for each neighbourhood, not a live feed; each area shows its own sample size and month. Not financial advice.

Electricity: 2026/27 tariffs (effective 1 July 2026). Lifeline tariff (energy R2.83/kWh incl VAT, no fixed charge; qualifying low-value prepaid properties under R500k) ~ R1,132. Home User tariff (Block 1 R3.56/kWh incl VAT + R424.30/mo fixed service & wires charge) ~ R1,848 at 400 kWh. Range spans both. The amount, R1,500, is our judgement between the two and sits just above the midpoint (R1,490); homes valued at R1 million or more pay the Home User tariff. City of Cape Town 2026/27 electricity tariffs (July 2026) · review June 2027.
Water & sanitation: Assumes 10 kL of water a month for one person, 15 kL for a couple and 20 kL for a family of four, on a 15 mm or 20 mm meter, at 2026/27 tariffs incl VAT (effective 1 July 2026). At 10 kL: water R287.98 (6 kL at R25.05 + 4 kL at R34.42), sanitation R147.08 (charged on 70% of the water, 7 kL: 4.2 kL at R18.28 + 2.8 kL at R25.11), plus fixed charges of R103.65 (water) and R56.56 (sanitation) = R595. The same sum gives R1,000 at 15 kL and R1,420 at 20 kL. The range runs from R387 at 6 kL to R1,000 at 15 kL. After a Western Cape High Court ruling set aside the 2025/26 charges from 30 June 2026, fixed charges are again based on meter size (not property value), and the separate city-wide cleaning charge is folded into property rates. Flats on a shared scheme meter pay through the levy instead. City of Cape Town 2026/27 water and sanitation tariffs (public notice of the approved rates and tariffs) (July 2026) · review June 2027.
Groceries (per person): Derived from PMBEJD's October 2026 Household Affordability Index. Its basic nutritious diet for a household of four costs R3,828.72 a month, which is R957 a person (R3,828.72 ÷ 4). Couple 2 × R957 = R1,914; family of four 4 × R957 = R3,828. The index prices food at supermarkets that serve low-income shoppers and covers food only, so treat this as a floor: a mid-range supermarket shop costs more, and cleaning and personal-care products are not included. For comparison, PMBEJD's Cape Town household food basket (what low-income families of seven try to buy each month; not nutritionally complete) costs R5,370.30, about R767 a person. PMBEJD October 2026 Household Affordability Index (basic nutritious diet, household of four) (October 2026) · review December 2026.
Private medical aid (per adult): KeyCare Plus is income-rated: R1,961 (income up to R10,250 a month), R2,695 (R10,251 to R16,600), R3,980 (R16,601 and above). The main member and an adult dependant pay the same; a child dependant pays R713, R760 or R1,064 by band. We use the top band, because every household on this page needs more than R16,600 a month to cover these costs (see Income needed). Couple 2 × R3,980 = R7,960; family (2 adults, 2 children) 3,980 + 3,980 + 1,064 + 1,064 = R10,088. Discovery Health 2026 contribution table (KeyCare Plus) (2026) · review December 2026.
Home internet (uncapped fibre): Uncapped fibre at 25 to 30 Mbps, line included, from Afrihost's price list on 24 September 2026: Openserve 30 Mbps+ R497, Vumatel 30 Mbps+ R517, Octotel 25 Mbps+ R547 (a promotion for new sign-ups). We use R550. Faster 50 to 55 Mbps lines cost R697 (Octotel 55 Mbps, Openserve 50 Mbps) to R727 (Vumatel 50 Mbps), which sets the top of the range. Router delivery (R249) and any installation fee are extra. Assumes fibre at the address. Afrihost fibre pricing (September 2026) · review December 2026.
Transport: 95 unleaded coastal = R29.38/litre (effective 7 October 2026, up R3.33 from September); a small car at ~7 L/100 km over 1,000 km ~ 70 L ~ R2,057/mo. Fuel only - excludes insurance, maintenance, finance, parking. Public transport (MyCiTi) is cheaper (~R1,200/mo) but covers limited corridors; minibus taxis are cheaper still. Fuels Industry Association of SA / DMPR official fuel price (October 2026) · review November 2026.
School fees (per child): School costs vary so widely that no single figure fits everyone. Quintile 1 to 3 public schools charge no fees (R0). The default, R1,500 a month (R18,000 a year), is our assumption for an ordinary fee-paying public school. Published 2026 fees for comparison: Bosmansdam Primary R12,540 a year, Table View High R31,300, Bergvliet Primary (grades 1 to 7) R31,535 and SACS High R71,000 to R72,800. The private options use our own figures of R6,000 and R11,500 a month; Reddam charges R90,000 to R160,000 a year (about R7,500 to R13,300 a month), per iSchoolAdvisor. Excludes registration, levies and uniforms. 2026 fee pages of Bosmansdam Primary, Bergvliet Primary, Table View High and SACS High; iSchoolAdvisor for private schools (2026) · review December 2026.
Security / armed response: Residential armed response typically R400-1,000/mo (avg ~R700). Excludes alarm equipment/installation (often financed separately). Quote-driven; security firms rarely publish flat rates. ProCompare SA armed-response pricing guide (2026).
Household contents insurance: King Price's 2026 benchmark is R400 to R900 a month for R500,000 to R800,000 of contents, which is R0.80 to R1.13 per R1,000 insured. Scaled to R300,000 of contents (not buildings), that is about R240 to R340; we use R300, an estimate rather than a quote. Couple (R390) and family (R480) assume more contents. Premiums vary with suburb risk, security and excess; get a quote for a real figure. King Price, home insurance in South Africa 2026 (contents premium benchmark) (July 2026) · review December 2026.
Rent: Median monthly ASKING rent for a 1-bedroom flat (2-bedroom for the family profile) in each neighbourhood - for the whole home, NOT per person. Each neighbourhood links to its own listings; sample size (n = number of listings) varies, shown in the table. Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents) (February 2026).
Income: Median (the typical household), not mean - the mean (R387,881/yr income) is inflated by high earners. It is 2023 income, not adjusted for price rises since, and it includes the imputed rent of owner-occupied homes (12.5% of average household income nationally), so it is not take-home pay. Census 2022 household-income data was withdrawn by Stats SA; IES is the current authority. Statistics South Africa, Income & Expenditure Survey 2022/23.
Exchange rates: Euro and dollar hints use the October 2026 average of 30 daily closes: USD/ZAR 16.57, EUR/ZAR 18.57. They are for orientation only; rents and bills are paid in rand. Rand exchange-rate history.

Data updated: 6 October 2026

Cost of Living in Cape Town

The true cost and return of an address

Sea Point One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Sea Point

Without a car

With a car

Green Point One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Green Point

Without a car

With a car

Gardens One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Gardens

Without a car

With a car

De Waterkant One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around De Waterkant

Without a car

With a car

Camps Bay One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Camps Bay

Without a car

With a car

Woodstock One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Woodstock

Without a car

With a car

Observatory One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Observatory

Without a car

With a car

Claremont One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Claremont

Without a car

With a car

Rondebosch One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Rondebosch

Without a car

With a car

Parklands One-bed flat

Cost to own

If it were let

Short-let, Cape Town as a whole

Getting around Parklands

Without a car

With a car

If you rent

If you buy

If you short-let

Cost to live here, by household

At a glance

Where it costs more (and less)

Compare neighbourhoods

Monthly city-wide costs