Kensington has a safety index of 32 out of 100 (Higher reported crime). This is a relative measure comparing reported crime across Cape Town suburbs, not an absolute safety guarantee. The Kensington precinct recorded approximately 1,708 crimes in the most recent annual period. Absolute crime volume is below the city average.

Is Kensington affordable?

Kensington sits in the mid-range for Cape Town property values. The median is R1.3M, placing it in the 38th 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 Kensington?

The median monthly water cost per account in Kensington is R610, 7% below the city median of R658. The median monthly electricity cost per account in Kensington is R1,907, 0% above the median of CoCT-billed suburbs of R1,900.

What is the municipal debt in Kensington?

As of May 2026, the average outstanding municipal debt per account in Kensington is R12,694, 44% above the city median of R8,815. Figures include all account types, so may overstate household debt in areas with commercial activity.

Kensington

A suburb with higher reported crime, below-average property values, and strong school performance relative to Cape Town.

Safety32/100Safer than 24% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) · ↑ Worsening Property800k-1MTop 62%Schools593% matric pass rate Healthcare14 facilitiesmore access than most suburbs CouncilNear avg complaints1d median resolution TransportMinibus taxi coveragewell-connected area

Data current as of June 2026

There is also a Kensington in Johannesburg. See Kensington, Johannesburg

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Kensington is a neighbourhood in Northern Suburbs, Cape Town, where property values are moderate by Cape Town standards. 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 Kensington, crime is rising based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have grown above inflation between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Kensington is well-served by schools, and matric results are broadly in line with the city average. In this area, the City typically resolves service complaints promptly. 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 Kensington safe?

Higher reported crime

Higher crimeModerateLower crime

15th percentile among 744 suburbs · Data: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very lowAbsolute crime volume

1 708 reported crimes per year · city median: 4 280

↑ 12.1% vs Q3 2024

Rate and volume tell different stories.

The per-capita rate appears high, but actual crime volume (1 708) is below the city median.

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?: 32 / 100
Contact crime rate: 173,779 per 100k residents
Station population: 23 803
Harm rate (per resident): 26/100
Harm volume (absolute): 40/100
Data period: Q4 2025/2026 (Jan–Mar 2026)
Source: SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

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

38th percentile

The median property value in Kensington is R1.3M. Property values have grown by 8.1% per year since 2018.

A 8.1% annual growth rate (CAGR) over the valuation period.

Value band distribution – Kensington properties (GV2022)

2-400k

4-600k

6-800k

800k-1M ◀

1-1.5M

1.5-2M

2-2.5M

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: R1,340,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022): +8.1% per year↑ Growing
City-wide value percentile: 38th percentile
Dominant value band: 800k-1M
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 Kensington?

Computed from City of Cape Town billing data

Water

R610 / month

7% below city median

Electricity

R1 907 / month

0% above median of CoCT-billed suburbs

Water trend:Dec 2025: R610Jan 2026: R632Feb 2026: R581

Electricity trend:Dec 2025: R2 058Jan 2026: R1 907Feb 2026: R1 698

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

INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Development activity in Kensington

↓ Decreasing

Kensington had 76 building plans approved in the last three financial years (FY22/23 to FY24/25), averaging 25 per year. Most were renovations and extensions.

3-year approvals: 76
Annual average: 25/yr
Avg project value: R341K

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 Kensington?

5 schools nearby

Kensington has 5 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 93.3%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Hidayatul Islam College.

Adjusted pass rate: 93.3%; City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing: 1; 227 candidates
Median quintile: Q5; Q4-Q5

IND
Hidayatul Islam College
Independent · Grades R–7 · 278 learners · 25.3:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateQuintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Kenmere Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 1,152 learners · 34.9:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees apply
Q5
Windermere Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 832 learners · 33.3:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees apply
Q5
Kensington Secondary School
Public · Grades 8–12 · 1,214 learners · 29.6:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
St. John'S Rc Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 558 learners · 29.4:1 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 Kensington?

Private vehicle dominant

Kensington has 8 minibus taxi routes, including routes to the CBD. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (67%).

Taxi connectivity

Limited connectivity

8 routes

39th percentile · 9 destinations · CBD-connected

Bellville, Bellville (via cape town, n1 & durban rd), Bellville (via cape town, n1, vanguard dr & voortrekker rd), Bothasig, Cape town, Kensington +3 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 Kensington – consider proximity to work when evaluating.

Private vehicle

67%

Walking

11%

MyCiTi bus

Minibus taxi

17%

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 (67%)
Source: CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Kensington?

Full municipal services

Kensington has a service delivery index of 99 out of 100, above the city median of 84.5. 78% of dwellings are formal structures.

Computed from the City of Cape Town 2024 Household Survey, Kensington survey group (43 households). direct.

› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R662) is 0.4× the city median of R1,674.

Access to basic services

99City median: 85

Piped water: 97.6%
Flush toilet: 100.0%
Weekly refuse: 100.0%
Grid electricity: 100.0%

Housing & tenure – Mixed tenure community

78City median: 68

Formal dwellings: 78.0%
Owner-occupied: 50.2%
Rented: 29.7%

Environmental risk – Low risk exposure

2risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26

Flooding risk: 0.0%
Fire risk: 0.0%
Violent crime: 0.0%
Non-violent crime: 2.4%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share: 31.7%; Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 69th percentile
Hardship dimensions: 1; Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share: 35.0%; of households receiving grants
Monthly savings: R191; Weighted mean per household

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre: 79.6%; City median: 46.5%
Mobile only: 16.0%
No access: 1.2%

Food security

Adult food insecurity: 1.2%; City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity: 1.2%; City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence: 1.2%; City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size: 3.4 people
Avg children per household: 1.3

Asset ownership

Computer access: 63.7%
Fridge ownership: 100.0%
Property ownership: 0.0%
Geyser ownership: 73.6%
Borehole access: 2.4%

Home-based economy

Home-based business: 8.0%; of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time: 3.6%
WFH part-time: 5.6%

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

Energy access

13%

Free basic electricity

5.6%

City median

13% of electricity connections in Kensington 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. 9,064 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Kensington?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Kensington in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 10,037 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 Kensington residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.

Median days to resolve
City median: 1

70th

Percentile
across Cape Town

35%

Resolved
same day

Power outage (13%)Sewerage overflow (9%)Suspect Tampering (7%)Single street light out (7%)Street lights out (7%)

Service requests logged: 10 037
Requests resolved: 78% (7 852 of 10 037)
75% resolved within: 5 days
90% resolved within: 12 days
Source: CCT service request database

Community & faith

Places of worship

22 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?: 2621.0 per 1,000 households
Total complaints: 10 008
Unresolved: 22.0%

Top issues: Power outage (1 280), Sewerage overflow (857), Suspect Tampering (727)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

MUNICIPAL FINANCE

Municipal debt in Kensington

44% above city median

Computed from City of Cape Town financial data

Municipal debt in Kensington averages R12 694 per account, compared to the city median of R8 815.

R12 694

per account

44% above city median

Trend:Mar 2026: R12 476Apr 2026: R12 694May 2026: R12 987

Breakdown as of May 2026

Property rates: R7 654 631
Electricity: R8 463 892
Water: R7 322 339
Refuse: R2 043 535
Sewerage: R4 046 660
City-wide cleaning: R170 625
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 Kensington?

Well served

Healthcare access

14 within 5km

Nearest public: Factreton Clinic · Community Day Centre · 0.5 km
Nearest private: Intercare Day Hospital Century City · Private Hospital · 2.7 km
Public facilities: 12
Private facilities: 2

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

The nearest fire station to Kensington is Brooklyn, 2.4 km away. The nearest public pool is Kensington Swimming Pool, 1.0 km away. The nearest clinic is Factreton Clinic, 0.5 km away.

Nearest clinic: Factreton Clinic · 0.5 km
Nearest library: Kensington · 0.5 km
Nearest park / open space: Lodestar Street Pos · 0.25 km