Glencairn 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 Simon's Town precinct recorded approximately 596 crimes in the most recent annual period. Absolute crime volume is below the city average.

Is Glencairn affordable?

Glencairn is among the higher-value suburbs in Cape Town. The median property value of R2.7M places it in the 72nd percentile, above 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 Glencairn?

The median monthly water cost per account in Glencairn is R698, 6% above the city median of R658. The median monthly electricity cost per account in Glencairn is R1,638, 14% below the median of CoCT-billed suburbs of R1,900.

What is the municipal debt in Glencairn?

As of May 2026, the average outstanding municipal debt per account in Glencairn is R12,895, 46% above the city median of R8,815. Figures include all account types, so may overstate household debt in areas with commercial activity.

Glencairn

A suburb with lower reported crime and above-average property values relative to Cape Town.

Safety99+/100Safer than 94% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) · ↓ Improving Property2-2.5MTop 28%Healthcare4 facilitiesmoderate access CouncilAbove avg complaints2d median resolution TransportMinibus taxi coverage1 routes serving the area

Data current as of June 2026

#18 Safest Suburbs #20 Best for Investment

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Glencairn is a neighbourhood in False Bay, 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. There is a place of worship in the area. The dominant commuter mode is private vehicle.

How is the area changing?

In Glencairn, crime is declining 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 Glencairn. In this area, service complaints are generally resolved within a few days. 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 Glencairn safe?

Lower reported crime

Higher crimeModerateLower crime

44th percentile among 744 suburbs · based on precinct-level data shared with 7 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very lowAbsolute crime volume

596 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280

↓ 12.9% vs Q3 2024

Crime is low and falling. This is one of the safer parts of Cape Town, with violent crime well below the city average and a positive year-on-year trend. Contact crime (assault, robbery) dominates the reported crime profile.

Detailed data

Safety index (resident-adjusted) How is this calculated?: 99+ / 100
Contact crime rate: 51,109 per 100k residents
Station population: 10 913
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 Simon's Town precinct, which covers Glencairn 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 Glencairn?

72nd percentile

Planned development

16 hectares of land in Glencairn are earmarked for new development across 2 parcels, primarily Medium Density Residential (13ha) and Public Service (3ha).

Source: CCT District Spatial Development Framework (January 2023). Development areas indicate planning designation, not construction timelines.

The median property value in Glencairn is R2.7M. 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 – Glencairn properties (GV2022)

800k-1M

1-1.5M

1.5-2M

2-2.5M ◀

2.5-3M

3-3.5M

3.5-4M

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: R2,720,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022): +4.2% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile: 72nd percentile
Dominant value band: 2-2.5M
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 Glencairn?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data

Water

R698 / month

6% above city median

Electricity

R1 638 / month

14% below median of CoCT-billed suburbs

Water trend:Dec 2025: R698Jan 2026: R706Feb 2026: R497

Electricity trend:Dec 2025: R1 638Jan 2026: R1 124Feb 2026: R1 755

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

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Glencairn

→ Stable

Glencairn had 299 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 100 per year. Most were new residential builds.

3-year approvals: 299
Annual average: 100/yr
Avg project value: R539K

45% social housing45% of recent building plans in Glencairn were for RDP or low-cost housing projects.

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 Glencairn?

Private vehicle dominant

Glencairn has 1 minibus taxi route. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (98%).

Taxi connectivity

Low connectivity

1 route

0th percentile · 2 destinations

Masiphumelele, Simons town

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

Commute mode share

Anyone relocating to Glencairn needs a car. The 98% 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

98%

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 (98%)
Source: CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Glencairn?

Full municipal services

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

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey, Glencairn survey group (41 households). direct.

› Zero households report hunger or food deprivation across all measured dimensions.› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R4,063) is 2.4× the city median of R1,674.› No material deprivation recorded across any of the 8 measured dimensions.› High digital connectivity: 97% of households have home internet access.

Access to basic services

99+City median: 85

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

Housing & tenure – Owner-dominated residential area

100City median: 68

Formal dwellings: 100.0%
Owner-occupied: 75.8%
Rented: 5.0%

Environmental risk – Moderate risk exposure

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

Flooding risk: 7.1%
Fire risk: 3.9%
Violent crime: 0.0%
Non-violent crime: 0.0%

Economic structure – Low material stress

Food spending share: 36.4%; Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 54th percentile
Hardship dimensions: 0; Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share: 4.0%; of households receiving grants
Monthly savings: R599; Weighted mean per household

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre: 97.4%; City median: 46.5%
Mobile only: 2.6%
No access: 0.0%

Food security

Adult food insecurity: 0.0%; City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity: 0.0%; City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence: 0.0%; City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size: 2.5 people
Avg children per household: 0.5

Asset ownership

Computer access: 85.4%
Fridge ownership: 100.0%
Property ownership: 11.3%
Geyser ownership: 98.1%
Borehole access: 23.6%

Home-based economy

Home-based business: 13.8%; of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time: 5.2%
WFH part-time: 2.6%

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

Energy access

25%

Free basic electricity

5.6%

City median

25% of electricity connections in Glencairn 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. 2,630 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Glencairn?

Responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Glencairn in a median of 2 days, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 5,892 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

26th

Percentile
across Cape Town

23%

Resolved
same day

No supply (9%)Water leak (8%)Sewerage overflow (6%)Power outage (5%)No water 20mm and below (4%)

Service requests logged: 5 892
Requests resolved: 72% (4 213 of 5 892)
75% resolved within: 6 days
90% resolved within: 18 days
Source: CCT service request database

Community & faith

Places of worship

1 registered

Christian

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?: 18998.9 per 1,000 households
Total complaints: 5 877
Unresolved: 29.0%

Top issues: No supply (524), Water leak (464), Sewerage overflow (352)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Glencairn

46% above city median

Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Glencairn averages R12 895 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R12 895

per account

46% above city median

Trend:Mar 2026: R11 977Apr 2026: R12 895May 2026: R13 244

Breakdown as of May 2026

Property rates: R10 604 768
Electricity: R4 711 087
Water: R1 656 331
Refuse: R604 950
Sewerage: R304 482
City-wide cleaning: R368 333
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 Glencairn?

Some services nearby

Healthcare access

4 within 5km

Nearest public: Fish Hoek Clinic · Community Day Centre · 2.5 km
Nearest private: Melomed Tokai · Private Hospital · 10.8 km
Public facilities: 4
Private facilities: 0

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

The nearest fire station to Glencairn is Fish Hoek, 2.5 km away. The nearest public pool is Muizenberg Swimming Pool, 7.7 km away. The nearest clinic is Fish Hoek Clinic, 2.5 km away.

Nearest clinic: Fish Hoek Clinic · 2.5 km
Nearest library: Fish Hoek · 2.6 km
Nearest park / open space: De Villiers Pos · 0.18 km