Western Cape property guide

Aerial photo of Cape Town
Beautiful Cape Town landscape
View over Hidden Valley farm in Stellenbosch
Aerial view of Knysna on the Garden Route

Province Overview

Arguably one of the most picturesque landscapes in the world, the Western Cape province not only offers chic city living apartments but also breathtaking agricultural properties.

Young professionals prefer Cape Town CBD living, whilst the larger family homes scattered throughout the Northern and Southern Suburbs of the city attract family buyers. If you are in the market for retirement and holiday properties the Garden Route is the destination for you with gems like George and Knysna to chose from.

The various rental property options available in the Western Cape ensure that prospective tenants will be able to find exactly what they are looking for. Cape Town’s City Bowl is a hotspot for young professional tenants, while the Atlantic Seaboard is known for its movie-worthy rental properties.

With its sweeping vistas of mountains, vineyards, and ocean it is easy to see why people fall in love with this picturesque South African province. From young creatives to the older generation - everyone will find their slice of paradise here - whether it is in the buzzing City Bowl or the laid-back Knysna!

Those in the market for a holiday home also flock to this province in the hopes of finding an escape from city life, which sees many eventually retiring to their previous holiday destinations.

Interesting Facts

  • With a total area of 129 370 square kilometres, the Western Cape is roughly the size of Greece. It’s the country’s fourth-largest province, only slightly smaller than the Free State, taking up 10.6% of South Africa’s land area and with a mid-2006 population of 4.7-million people.
  • Visitors to the Western Cape can disembark at international airports in Cape Town and the city of George, or at the ports of Cape Town, Mossel Bay or Saldanha.
  • Saldanha, north of Cape Town, is South Africa’s only natural harbour, and notable harbour for iron exports and the fishing industry. Other towns include Worcester and Stellenbosch in the heart of the winelands, George, a centre for indigenous timber and vegetable production, Oudtshoorn, known for its ostrich products and the world-famous Cango caves, and Beaufort West on the dry, sheep-farming plains of the Great Karoo.
  • The Western Cape is home to the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms, the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is characterised by fynbos and the protea family, and contains more plant species than the whole of Europe.
Western Cape property map
Explore Western Cape towns
Agulhas (2), Albertinia (45), Ashton (3), Atlantis (4), Aurora (1), Beaufort West (8), Bellville (238), Bettys Bay (27), Blaauwberg (109), Blackheath (14), Blouberg (219), Blue Downs (34), Boggomsbaai (5), Bonnievale (1), Bot River (4), Brackenfell (81), Bredasdorp (3), Breede Rivier (1), Caledon (8), Calitzdorp (35), Cape Agulhas (2), Cape Town (1871), Ceres (2), Clanwilliam (14), Constantia (1), Darling (1), De Doorns (2), De Kelders (1), Delft (53), Durbanville (74), Eersterivier (36), Elsies River (11), Fish Hoek (25), Franschhoek (5), Gansbaai (222), George (320), Glentana (4), Goodwood (102), Gordons Bay (163), Gouritsmond (2), Grabouw (9), Great Brak River (36), Greyton (2), Groot Brakrivier (20), Grotto Bay (11), Hartenbos (130), Heidelberg (2), Hermanus (59), Hopefield (1), Hout Bay (84), Khayelitsha (15), Kleinmond (53), Knysna (99), Kommetjie (13), Kraaifontein (139), Kuils River (90), Ladismith (42), Lamberts Bay (1), Langebaan (79), Macassar (2), Malmesbury (85), Matroosfontein (4), Mcgregor (23), Melkbosstrand (33), Milnerton (300), Mitchells Plain (44), Montagu (54), Mossel Bay (572), Muizenberg (8), Napier (6), Noordhoek (13), Oudtshoorn (36), Paarl (160), Parow (201), Paternoster (11), Philadelphia (1), Piketberg (1), Plettenberg Bay (25), Porterville (14), Prince Albert (11), Pringle Bay (12), Riversdale (46), Riviersonderend (2), Robertson (43), Rooi Els (2), Saldanha (76), Sedgefield (19), Simons Town (8), Sir Lowrys Pass (3), Somerset West (205), St Helena Bay (9), Stanford (6), Stellenbosch (185), Still Bay (34), Strand (170), Strandfontein (1), Struisbaai (6), Suiderstrand (5), Swellendam (4), Touws River (1), Tulbagh (7), Uniondale (7), Van Wyksdorp (46), Vanrhynsdorp (1), Velddrif (47), Villiersdorp (40), Vleesbaai (21), Vredenburg (18), Vredendal (2), Wellington (12), Wilderness (45), Witsand (2), Worcester (6), Yzerfontein (12)
Latest real estate news in Western Cape view all news in Western Cape
Why Homebuyers Are Flocking to the West Coast
Market & Opinion
Why Homebuyers Are Flocking to the West Coast
23 Nov 2023
Property owners in West Coast towns have experienced steady increases in value over the past 10 years, says Samantha Nel, a Western Cape area manager for Pam Golding Properties.
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More tenants are paying rent but rental escalations are slowing as consumers feel the pinch
Market & Opinion
More tenants are paying rent but rental escalations are slowing as consumers feel the pinch
13 Nov 2023
Despite a tough economy and constrained household budgets, for the third consecutive quarter more tenants are paying their rent and the number of tenants in good standing has continued to improve.
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The allure of the Western Cape in the rise of multi-continental property portfolios
Market & Opinion
The allure of the Western Cape in the rise of multi-continental property portfolios
31 Oct 2023
In a world where high-net-worth individuals seek not only luxury but also strategic investment opportunities, these buyers are embracing a new trend – the acquisition of homes on multiple continents to diversify their property assets across the globe in an effort to offset volatility in traditionally stable markets.
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Here is what a rental property currently costs in Cape Town
Market & Opinion
Here is what a rental property currently costs in Cape Town
20 Oct 2023
Across the country, it is currently a landlord’s dream market as demand for rental properties continues to climb following every interest rate hike.
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