Dobson has a safety index of 99+ out of 100 (Lower reported crime). This is a relative measure comparing reported crime across Cape Town suburbs, not an absolute safety guarantee. The Gordons Bay precinct recorded approximately 1,356 crimes in the most recent annual period. Absolute crime volume is below the city average.

Is Dobson affordable?

Dobson sits in the mid-range for Cape Town property values. The median is R1.9M, placing it in the 52nd 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 Dobson?

The median monthly water cost per account in Dobson is R678, 3% above the city median of R658. The median monthly electricity cost per account in Dobson is R1,810, 5% below the median of CoCT-billed suburbs of R1,900.

What is the municipal debt in Dobson?

As of May 2026, the average outstanding municipal debt per account in Dobson is R3,765, 57% below the city median of R8,815. Figures include all account types, so may overstate household debt in areas with commercial activity.

Dobson

A suburb with lower reported crime, responsive municipal services, and well-connected public transport relative to Cape Town.

Safety99+/100Safer than 94% of Cape Town suburbs (relative)Property1.5-2MTop 48%Healthcare4 facilitiesmoderate access CouncilNear avg complaints1d median resolution TransportMinibus taxi coveragewell-connected area

Data current as of June 2026

#11 Safest Suburbs #19 Best for Investment

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Dobson is a neighbourhood in Helderberg, Cape Town, where property values sit in the middle-to-upper range for Cape Town. The area's safety profile is well above the city average for reported safety.

How is the area changing?

In Dobson, crime levels are stable based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have broadly tracked inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

School and matric pass rate data is limited for Dobson. In this area, the City typically resolves service complaints promptly. The suburb has several healthcare facilities within reasonable distance.

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 Dobson safe?

Lower reported crime

Higher crimeModerateLower crime

97th percentile among 744 suburbs · based on precinct-level data shared with 20 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very lowAbsolute crime volume

1 356 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280

↑ 2.7% vs Q3 2024

Crime is low by Cape Town standards. Contact crime (assault, robbery) dominates the reported crime profile.

Detailed data

Safety index (resident-adjusted) How is this calculated?: 99+ / 100
Contact crime rate: 58,439 per 100k residents
Station population: 19 851
Harm rate (per resident): 99+/100
Harm volume (absolute): 99+/100
Data period: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026)
Source: SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Gordons Bay precinct, which covers Dobson 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 Dobson?

52nd percentile

The median property value in Dobson is R1.9M. Property values have grown by 4.6% per year since 2018.

A 4.6% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.

Value band distribution – Dobson properties (GV2022)

6-800k

800k-1M

1-1.5M

1.5-2M ◀

2-2.5M

2.5-3M

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: R1,850,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022): +4.6% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile: 52nd 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 Dobson?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data

Water

R678 / month

3% above city median

Electricity

R1 810 / month

5% below median of CoCT-billed suburbs

Water trend:Dec 2025: R785Jan 2026: R678Feb 2026: R575

Electricity trend:Dec 2025: R1 910Jan 2026: R1 810Feb 2026: R1 787

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

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Dobson

→ Stable

Dobson had 15 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 5 per year. Most were renovations and extensions.

3-year approvals: 15
Annual average: 5/yr
Avg project value: R241K

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).

Source: DBE EMIS · Q2 2025

FOR COMMUTERS

How connected is Dobson?

Limited connectivity

Dobson has 9 minibus taxi routes.

Taxi connectivity

Limited connectivity

9 routes

35th percentile · 9 destinations

Gordons bay, Koggelbaai, Lwandle, Sir lowrys pass town, Somerset mall,somerset west, Somerset west +3 more

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

Commute mode data is not available for this suburb. The CCT Household Survey covers 163 survey areas; this suburb is outside the surveyed areas.

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Dobson?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Dobson in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 912 service requests to the City of Cape Town.

Computed from City of Cape Town service request data

Infrastructure problems get fixed fast. The median resolution under one day means Dobson residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.

Median days to resolve
City median: 1

61st

Percentile
across Cape Town

33%

Resolved
same day

Sewerage overflow (12%)Single street light out (10%)Power outage (8%)Street lights out (5%)Stolen Bins - 240L (5%)

Service requests logged: 912
Requests resolved: 83% (759 of 912)
75% resolved within: 5 days
90% resolved within: 16 days
Source: CCT service request database

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Near city average

Complaint rate How is this calculated?: 2623.8 per 1,000 households
Total complaints: 908
Unresolved: 17.0%

Top issues: Sewerage overflow (108), Single street light out (93), Power outage (76)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Dobson

57% below city median

Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Dobson averages R3 765 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R3 765

per account

57% below city median

Trend:Mar 2026: R3 765Apr 2026: R3 688May 2026: R3 898

Breakdown as of May 2026

Property rates: R391 116
Electricity: R405 078
Water: R248 610
Refuse: R93 280
Sewerage: R132 719
City-wide cleaning: R19 304
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 Dobson?

Some services nearby

Healthcare access

4 within 5km

Nearest public: Gordon'S Bay CDC · Community Day Centre · 1.1 km
Nearest private: Mediclinic Strand · Private Hospital · 4.9 km
Public facilities: 3
Private facilities: 1

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

The nearest fire station to Dobson is Strand, 4.2 km away. The nearest public pool is Strand Swimming Pool, 5.0 km away. The nearest clinic is Gordon'S Bay Cdc, 1.1 km away.

Nearest clinic: Gordon'S Bay Cdc · 1.1 km
Nearest library: Gordon'S Bay · 0.8 km
Nearest park / open space: Ananchorage Park Greenbelt · 0.32 km