Boston has a safety index of 30 out of 100 (Higher reported crime). This is a relative measure comparing reported crime across Cape Town suburbs, not an absolute safety guarantee. The Bellville precinct recorded approximately 6,668 crimes in the most recent annual period. Absolute crime volume is above the city average.

Is Boston affordable?

Boston sits in the mid-range for Cape Town property values. The median is R2M, placing it in the 57th percentile, broadly in line with the city median. 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 Boston?

The median monthly water cost per account in Boston is R747, 13% above the city median of R658. The median monthly electricity cost per account in Boston is R1,638, 14% below the median of CoCT-billed suburbs of R1,900.

What is the municipal debt in Boston?

As of May 2026, the average outstanding municipal debt per account in Boston is R6,817, 23% below the city median of R8,815. Figures include all account types, so may overstate household debt in areas with commercial activity.

Boston

A suburb with higher reported crime and strong school performance relative to Cape Town.

Safety30/100Safer than 17% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) · ↑ Worsening Property1.5-2MTop 43%Schools398% matric pass rate Healthcare11 facilitiesmore access than most suburbs CouncilAbove avg complaints2d median resolution TransportMinibus taxi coverage4 routes serving the area

Data current as of June 2026

#4 Best Schools

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Boston is a neighbourhood in Northern Suburbs, Cape Town, where property values sit in the middle-to-upper range for Cape Town. The area's safety profile is below the city average for reported safety. There are several places of worship in the area. The dominant commuter mode is private vehicle.

How is the area changing?

In Boston, crime is rising based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have broadly tracked inflation between valuation rolls. The suburb is within a City-designated Development Focus Area, signalling future investment and infrastructure priorities.

What should buyers know?

Boston is served by schools within reach, and matric results exceed the city average by a comfortable margin. 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 Boston safe?

Higher reported crime

Higher crimeModerateLower crime

71st percentile among 744 suburbs · based on precinct-level data shared with 45 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

HighAbsolute crime volume

6 668 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280

↑ 10.3% 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?: 30 / 100
Contact crime rate: 715,478 per 100k residents
Station population: 78 711
Harm rate (per resident): 21/100
Harm volume (absolute): 44/100
Data period: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026)
Source: SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Bellville precinct, which covers Boston 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 Boston?

57th percentile

City of Cape Town Development Focus Area

Boston is within the Belville CBD / Tygervalley development focus area. The City of Cape Town has designated this area as a development priority, signalling committed public investment in infrastructure, services, and economic opportunity.

Source: CCT District Spatial Development Framework (January 2023). Development focus areas indicate City planning intent, not guaranteed timelines.

The median property value in Boston is R2M. Property values have grown by 4.2% per year since 2018.

A 4.2% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.

Value band distribution – Boston properties (GV2022)

6-800k

800k-1M

1-1.5M

1.5-2M ◀

2-2.5M

2.5-3M

3-3.5M

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: R2,000,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022): +4.2% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile: 57th percentile
Dominant value band: 1.5-2M
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 Boston?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data

Water

R747 / month

13% above city median

Electricity

R1 638 / month

14% below median of CoCT-billed suburbs

Water trend:Dec 2025: R890Jan 2026: R747Feb 2026: R687

Electricity trend:Dec 2025: R1 638Jan 2026: R1 929Feb 2026: R1 626

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

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Boston

→ Stable

Boston had 78 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 26 per year. Most were other approvals.

3-year approvals: 78
Annual average: 26/yr
Avg project value: R326K

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 Boston?

3 schools nearby

Boston has 3 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 97.9%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Boston Primary School.

Adjusted pass rate: 97.9%; City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing: 1; 219 candidates
Median quintile: Q5; Q4-Q5

Q5
Boston Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 671 learners · 20.3:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Totius Primêre Skool
Public · Grades R–7 · 529 learners · 17.6:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
D.F. Malan Hoërskool
Public · Grades 8–12 · 1,134 learners · 16.2:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size

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 Boston?

Private vehicle dominant

Boston has 4 minibus taxi routes. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (93%).

Taxi connectivity

Limited connectivity

4 routes

20th percentile · 3 destinations

Bellville, Du noon, Welgemoed

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

Commute mode share

Anyone relocating to Boston needs a car. The 93% private vehicle share is a socioeconomic profile signal, not a walkability score – in working-class Cape Town suburbs the same walking rate indicates structural necessity. Here it is lifestyle choice.

Private vehicle

93%

Walking

Minibus taxi

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 (93%)
Source: CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Boston?

Full municipal services

Boston has a service delivery index of 99 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 98% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey, Bellville survey group (45 households). Indicative: nearest survey group used.

› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R4,323) is 2.6× the city median of R1,674.› High digital connectivity: 88% of households have home internet access.

Access to basic services

99City median: 85

Piped water: 100.0%
Flush toilet: 97.4%
Weekly refuse: 100.0%
Grid electricity: 100.0%

Housing & tenure – Mixed tenure community

98City median: 68

Formal dwellings: 98.2%
Owner-occupied: 46.2%
Rented: 41.7%

Environmental risk – Moderate risk exposure

13risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26

Flooding risk: 2.3%
Fire risk: 0.0%
Violent crime: 6.0%
Non-violent crime: 3.2%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share: 24.7%; Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 87th percentile
Hardship dimensions: 0; Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share: 12.0%; of households receiving grants
Monthly savings: R881; Weighted mean per household

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre: 88.5%; City median: 46.5%
Mobile only: 8.0%
No access: 1.5%

Food security

Adult food insecurity: 2.5%; City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity: 2.5%; City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence: 6.9%; City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size: 2.9 people
Avg children per household: 0.6

Asset ownership

Computer access: 67.1%
Fridge ownership: 95.9%
Property ownership: 2.1%
Geyser ownership: 96.2%
Borehole access: 11.2%

Home-based economy

Home-based business: 12.6%; of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time: 3.6%
WFH part-time: 14.4%

Source: City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey. Survey group: Bellville. Indicative: nearest survey group used.

Energy access

Free basic electricity

5.6%

City median

8% of electricity connections in Boston receive free basic electricity under the City's indigent support programme. Free basic electricity is a constitutional entitlement providing a monthly allocation to qualifying households. The proportion reflects the reach of the City's indigent support in this suburb, not a measure of poverty.

Source: CCT prepaid electricity data (2025/11/30 to 2026/01/31). Covers prepaid connections only. Credit-metered households are not included. 5,283 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Boston?

Responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Boston in a median of 2 days, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 8,786 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

18th

Percentile
across Cape Town

26%

Resolved
same day

Single street light out (8%)Power outage (7%)Suspect Tampering (6%)Sewerage overflow (6%)Street lights out (6%)

Service requests logged: 8 786
Requests resolved: 73% (6 420 of 8 786)
75% resolved within: 6 days
90% resolved within: 20 days
Source: CCT service request database

Community & faith

Places of worship

8 registered

Christian

Jewish

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

Above city average

Complaint rate How is this calculated?: 4608.3 per 1,000 households
Total complaints: 8 656
Unresolved: 27.0%

Top issues: Single street light out (708), Power outage (645), Suspect Tampering (563)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Boston

23% below city median

Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Boston averages R6 817 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R6 817

per account

23% below city median

Trend:Mar 2026: R7 577Apr 2026: R6 817May 2026: R6 555

Breakdown as of May 2026

Property rates: R2 798 791
Electricity: R3 695 719
Water: R1 746 014
Refuse: R556 338
Sewerage: R945 637
City-wide cleaning: R115 495
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 Boston?

Well served

Healthcare access

11 within 5km

Nearest public: Karl Bremmer Hospital · Provincial Hospital · 1.2 km
Nearest private: Melomed Bellville · Private Hospital · 0.8 km
Public facilities: 7
Private facilities: 4

This suburb has access to both public and private healthcare within 5 km.

The nearest fire station to Boston is Bellville, 2.0 km away. The nearest public pool is Bellville Swimming Pool, 1.0 km away. The nearest clinic is Melomed Bellville , 0.8 km away.

Nearest clinic: Melomed Bellville · 0.8 km
Nearest library: Bellville · 0.9 km
Nearest park / open space: Van Niekerk Park · 0.11 km