Livability · rank 40/41
Is 🇿🇦 South Africa (Cape Town) a good place to live?
Quality score 40/100 against essentials of $809/month. Cape Town lifestyle is superb but personal-security planning is non-negotiable; load-shedding affects power/net.
The five metrics
Internet 20 50 Mbps median broadband, 78.4% online
Safety 0 43.7 homicides/100k (2022)
Healthcare 25 66.3y life expectancy (2024)
Air quality 67 PM2.5 19.8 µg/m³ (2023)
English 90 day-to-day usability
What your budget buys
| Monthly budget | vs essentials ($809) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | 2.5× | very comfortable |
| $3,000 | 3.7× | like royalty |
| $5,000 | 6.2× | like royalty |
Essentials from the Pint & Property basket. Rank countries by your own priorities in the interactive matrix.
🛂 Remote Work Visitor Visa — income floor ≈ $2,800/month. Visa finder →
🪤 Tax residency triggers at 183 days. Tax residency details →
Similar value-for-money
- 🇫🇷 France — quality 83.6, essentials $1,686/mo
- 🇮🇹 Italy — quality 72.8, essentials $1,476/mo
- 🇸🇪 Sweden — quality 92.2, essentials $1,888/mo
- 🇧🇷 Brazil — quality 45.6, essentials $935/mo
See also: everyday prices · retiring in South Africa
Frequently asked questions
- Is South Africa a good place to live for remote workers?
- South Africa scores 40/100 on our equal-weighted livability composite (internet 50 Mbps, safety 0, healthcare 25, air 67, English 90) — rank 40 of 41. Cape Town lifestyle is superb but personal-security planning is non-negotiable; load-shedding affects power/net.
- How fast is the internet in South Africa?
- Median fixed broadband is around 50 Mbps. Cape Town lifestyle is superb but personal-security planning is non-negotiable; load-shedding affects power/net.
- What does $3,000/month get you in South Africa?
- Single-person essentials run about $809/month at local prices, so $3,000 lives "like royalty" (3.7× essentials).