Is Bishop Lavis affordable?

Bishop Lavis is among the more affordable suburbs in Cape Town. With a median property value of R430K, it falls in the 12th percentile, below most of the city. Note that these figures are based on the City of Cape Town General Valuation 2022 and reflect municipal valuations, not necessarily current market prices.

What are utility costs in Bishop Lavis?

The median monthly water cost per account in Bishop Lavis is R234, 65% below the city median of R658.

What is the municipal debt in Bishop Lavis?

As of May 2026, the average outstanding municipal debt per account in Bishop Lavis is R9,115, 3% above the city median of R8,815. Figures include all account types, so may overstate household debt in areas with commercial activity.

Bishop Lavis

A suburb with higher reported crime, more affordable property values, and strong school performance relative to Cape Town.

Safety28/100Safer than 13% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) · ↑ Worsening Property2-400kTop 88%Schools1091% matric pass rate Healthcare20 facilitiesmore access than most suburbs CouncilNear avg complaints2d median resolution TransportMinibus taxi coveragewell-connected area

Data current as of June 2026

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Bishop Lavis is a neighbourhood in Cape Flats, Cape Town, where property values place it among the more affordable areas in Cape Town. The area's safety profile is below the city average for reported safety. There is a strong presence of places of worship serving the community. The dominant commuter mode is private vehicle.

How is the area changing?

In Bishop Lavis, crime is rising based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have broadly tracked inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Bishop Lavis is well-served by schools, and matric results are broadly in line with the city average. In this area, service complaints are generally resolved within a few days. The suburb is well-served by nearby healthcare facilities.

Neighbourhood summary generated from StreetSignal data and reviewed by our team.

These statistics describe the suburb as a whole. Conditions vary between streets and neighbourhoods within any suburb.

For home buyers & families

Is Bishop Lavis safe?

Higher reported crime

Higher crimeModerateLower crime

58th percentile among 744 suburbs · based on precinct-level data shared with 10 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very highAbsolute crime volume

7 448 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280

↑ 17.9% vs Q3 2024

Crime is higher than most of Cape Town and has been increasing over the past year. Contact crime (assault, robbery) dominates the reported crime profile. Check the breakdown below for specifics.

Detailed data

Safety index (resident-adjusted) How is this calculated?: 28 / 100
Contact crime rate: 761,966 per 100k residents
Station population: 118 121
Harm rate (per resident): 26/100
Harm volume (absolute): 30/100
Data period: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026)
Source: SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Bishop Lavis precinct, which covers Bishop Lavis and surrounding suburbs. Reported crime may differ from actual crime levels.Full methodology

Disagree with this score? Challenge the methodology ›

Source: SAPS via DataFirst · Q4 2025/2026

FOR BUYERS & INVESTORS

What do properties cost in Bishop Lavis?

12th percentile

The median property value in Bishop Lavis is R430K. Property values have grown by 5.7% per year since 2018.

A 5.7% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.

Value band distribution – Bishop Lavis properties (GV2022)

0-200k

2-400k ◀

4-600k

6-800k

800k-1M

Property values are based on the City of Cape Town's 2022 General Valuation roll. GV is an assessed value for municipal rating purposes; transaction prices frequently exceed GV. Recent sales transaction data and rental market data are not available as open data in South Africa.

Median GV2022: R430,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022): +5.7% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile: 12th percentile
Dominant value band: 2-400k
Source: CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781
Vintage: General Valuation 2022 (municipal valuation, not current market price)

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR RESIDENTS

What do utilities cost in Bishop Lavis?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data

Water

R234 / month

65% below city median

Electricity

This area is supplied by Eskom. City of Cape Town electricity billing data is not available.

Water trend:Dec 2025: R234Jan 2026: R327Feb 2026: R199

Monthly cost per account from City of Cape Town billing data. Water coverage: 647 suburbs. Electricity coverage: 384 suburbs.

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Bishop Lavis

↑ Increasing

Bishop Lavis had 32 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 11 per year. Most were renovations and extensions.

3-year approvals: 32
Annual average: 11/yr
Avg project value: R691K

Building plans approved by the City of Cape Town (2014-2025). Approvals indicate planned investment, not completed construction. This data reflects formal building activity only and does not capture informal construction, backyard dwellings, or building work undertaken without a formal plan submission. In areas with high informality, actual construction activity may be substantially higher than these figures suggest. Source: CoCT Building Development Management (DAMS).

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Bishop Lavis?

10 schools nearby

Bishop Lavis has 10 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 90.8%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Bishops School Of Skills.

Adjusted pass rate: 90.8%; City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing: 2; 349 candidates
Median quintile: Q4; Q4-Q5

–
Bishops School Of Skills
Public · Special needs · 305 learners · 16.9:1 learner-educator ratio
Specialist provision
Q4
Bergville Primêre Skool
Public · Grades R–7 · 431 learners · 30.8:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Bishop Lavis Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 607 learners · 35.7:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Greenlands Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 873 learners · 36.4:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Helderberg Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 676 learners · 35.6:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Hillside Primêre Skool
Public · Grades R–7 · 500 learners · 31.2:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Lavisrylaan Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 481 learners · 32.1:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
Riverton Primêre Skool
Public · Grades R–7 · 280 learners · 21.5:1 learner-educator ratio
Favourable class size
Q4
Bishop Lavis Sekondêr
Public · Grades 8–12 · 1,426 learners · 34:1 learner-educator ratio
Q4
John Ramsay Hoërskool
Public · Grades 8–12 · 1,105 learners · 36.8:1 learner-educator ratio

Quintile 5 is the highest government-funding category - fees apply, but these are the best-resourced public schools in South Africa. Rankings set by the WCED against community socioeconomic index. Learner-educator ratio (LER) is from EMIS Q2 2025; under 30:1 is favourable by WCED standards, over 40:1 indicates strained capacity. What quintile means ›

Source: DBE EMIS · Q2 2025

FOR COMMUTERS

How connected is Bishop Lavis?

Vehicle-led mix

Bishop Lavis has 9 minibus taxi routes. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (33%).

Taxi connectivity

Limited connectivity

9 routes

35th percentile · 7 destinations

Bishop lavis, Elsies river, Hyperama parow, Montana, Netreg, Netreg station +1 more

Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode share

A mixed transport profile. Multiple modes serve Bishop Lavis – consider proximity to work when evaluating.

Private vehicle

33%

Walking

24%

MyCiTi bus

Minibus taxi

28%

Cape Town transport context: In South African cities, transport mode is a socioeconomic proxy – high private vehicle = affluent, high minibus taxi = working class, high walking = structural necessity not preference. StreetSignal reports modal share rather than a walkability index, which would misrepresent SA urban mobility. Methodology ›

Dominant mode: Private vehicle (33%)
Source: CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Bishop Lavis?

Partial service delivery

Bishop Lavis has a service delivery index of 94 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 63% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey, Bishop Lavis survey group (44 households). direct.

› Adult food insecurity (19.1%) is 1.0× the city average of 18.3%.› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R204) is 0.1× the city median of R1,674.› Social grants reach 71% of households, providing a critical income safety net.

Access to basic services

94City median: 85

Piped water: 97.8%
Flush toilet: 77.7%
Weekly refuse: 100.0%
Grid electricity: 100.0%

Housing & tenure – Owner-dominated residential area

63City median: 68

Formal dwellings: 63.2%
Owner-occupied: 86.5%
Rented: 9.0%

Environmental risk – Moderate risk exposure

19risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26

Flooding risk: 8.5%
Fire risk: 1.2%
Violent crime: 3.1%
Non-violent crime: 3.1%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share: 57.3%; Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Under pressure, limited discretionary income · 7th percentile
Hardship dimensions: 1; Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share: 71.0%; of households receiving grants

Digital inclusion – Mixed-access suburb

Home fibre: 33.9%; City median: 46.5%
Mobile only: 47.0%
No access: 16.1%

Food security

Adult food insecurity: 19.1%; City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity: 16.0%; City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence: 15.0%; City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size: 3.6 people
Avg children per household: 0.9

Asset ownership

Computer access: 11.9%
Fridge ownership: 94.5%
Property ownership: 0.0%
Geyser ownership: 30.2%
Borehole access: 0.0%

Home-based economy

Home-based business: 5.3%; of households operate a home-based business
WFH part-time: 3.1%

Source: City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey. Survey group: Bishop Lavis. direct.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Bishop Lavis?

Responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Bishop Lavis in a median of 2 days, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 13,409 service requests to the City of Cape Town.

Computed from City of Cape Town service request data

Below-average municipal responsiveness. A 2-day median resolution is slower than the city median – infrastructure complaints take meaningfully longer to resolve.

Median days to resolve
City median: 1

17th

Percentile
across Cape Town

18%

Resolved
same day

Sewerage overflow (32%)Street lights out (7%)Damaged Bin - 240L (4%)Single street light out (4%)Leak at meter/stopcock 20mm below (4%)

Service requests logged: 13 409
Requests resolved: 77% (10 391 of 13 409)
75% resolved within: 7 days
90% resolved within: 18 days
Source: CCT service request database

Community & faith

Places of worship

11 registered

Christian

Islamic

Places of worship per suburb from City of Cape Town open data, supplemented with OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Coverage: 373 of 744 suburbs.

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Near city average

Complaint rate How is this calculated?: 1906.7 per 1,000 households
Total complaints: 13 374
Unresolved: 22.0%

Top issues: Sewerage overflow (4 272), Street lights out (874), Damaged Bin - 240L (544)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Bishop Lavis

3% above city median

Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Bishop Lavis averages R9 115 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R9 115

per account

3% above city median

Trend:Mar 2026: R8 921Apr 2026: R9 115May 2026: R9 265

Breakdown as of May 2026

Property rates: R5 685 061
Electricity: R0
Water: R17 958 400
Refuse: R4 169 505
Sewerage: R6 717 646
City-wide cleaning: R66 272
Improvement district: R0

Outstanding municipal arrears from City of Cape Town financial records. Coverage: 741 suburbs. Per-account figures available for 582 suburbs.

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Bishop Lavis?

Well served

Healthcare access

20 within 5km

Nearest public: Bishop Lavis Clinic · Clinic · 0.1 km
Nearest private: Melomed Gatesville · Private Hospital · 5.2 km
Public facilities: 20
Private facilities: 0

This suburb has public healthcare access but no private facilities within 5 km.

The nearest fire station to Bishop Lavis is Epping, 4.2 km away. The nearest public pool is Elsies River Swimming Pool, 2.3 km away. The nearest clinic is Bishop Lavis Clinic, 0.1 km away.

Nearest clinic: Bishop Lavis Clinic · 0.1 km
Nearest library: Bishop Lavis · 0.2 km
Nearest park / open space: Vygie Road Park · 0.25 km