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Cape Town City Centre

Safety 31/100 Safer than 34% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) Property 1.5-2M Top 3% Schools 5 94% matric pass rate Healthcare 9 facilities more access than most suburbs Council Below avg complaints 1d median resolution Transport Minibus taxi coverage well-connected area

Data current as of

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Cape Town City Centre is a neighbourhood in Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, where property values sit in the upper quartile for 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. Policing falls under the Cape Town Central SAPS precinct.

How is the area changing?

In Cape Town City Centre, crime levels are stable based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have remained relatively flat between valuation rolls. The suburb is within a City-designated Development Focus Area, signalling future investment and infrastructure priorities.

What should buyers know?

Cape Town City Centre 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 Cape Town City Centre safe?

Higher reported crime

53rd percentile among 744 suburbs · relative index, not an absolute safety measure

Very high Absolute crime volume
34 148 reported crimes per year · city median: 10 468
↑ 1.8% vs Q3 2024
Crime is higher than most of Cape Town. 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? 31 / 100
Contact crime rate 990,041 per 100k residents
Station population 128 777
Harm rate (per resident) 54/100
Harm volume (absolute) 18/100
Data period Q3 2025/2026 (Oct–Dec 2025)
Source SAPS via DataFirst · CC-BY 4.0

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Cape Town Central precinct, which covers Cape Town City Centre and surrounding suburbs. Reported crime may differ from actual crime levels. Full methodology

Disagree with this score? Challenge the methodology ›

Source: SAPS via DataFirst · Q3 2025/2026

FOR BUYERS & INVESTORS

What do properties cost in Cape Town City Centre?

97th percentile

City of Cape Town Development Focus Area

Cape Town City Centre is within the CBD 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.

Planned development

10 hectares of land in Cape Town City Centre are earmarked for new development across 14 parcels, primarily High Density Residential (8ha) and Mixed Use (2ha).

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

The median property value in Cape Town City Centre is R7.6M. Property values have declined by 0.7% per year since 2018.

The -0.7% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is consolidation, not distress. Pricing has held across multiple market cycles – buyers are entering a position that has proven sticky at high absolute levels.
Value band distribution – Cape Town City Centre properties (GV2022)

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 R7,600,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022) -0.7% per year → Consolidating
City-wide value percentile 97th percentile
Dominant value band 1.5-2M
Source CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Cape Town City Centre?

5 schools nearby

Cape Town City Centre has 5 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 94.2%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Learn To Live School Of Skills.

Adjusted pass rate
94.2%
City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing
3
407 candidates
Median quintile
Q5
Q4-Q5
IND
Learn To Live School Of Skills
Independent · Special needs · 238 learners · 14.9:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateSpecialist provision
Q5
St. Mary'S Primary School (Gardens)
Public · Grades R–7 · 270 learners · 20.8:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Gardens Commercial High School
Public · Grades 8–12 · 589 learners · 26.8:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Prestwich Street Primary School
Public · Grades R–7 · 697 learners · 29:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Cape Town High School
Public · Grades 8–12 · 877 learners · 25.8:1 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 Cape Town City Centre?

Private vehicle dominant

Cape Town City Centre has 202 minibus taxi routes, including routes to the CBD. The most common way people get to work is by private vehicle (71%).

Taxi connectivity Ranks this suburb's taxi route access against all 744 Cape Town suburbs. Based on routes matched by name and within 500m of suburb centre. Large suburbs may have higher actual connectivity than shown. Full methodology ›

Well connected
202 routes
100th percentile · 117 destinations · CBD-connected
cape town captour, Athlone, Atlantis, Atlantis(wesfleur), Bellville, Bonteheuwel +111 more
Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode share

Anyone relocating to Cape Town City Centre needs a car. The 71% 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
71%
Walking
13%
MyCiTi bus
3%
Minibus taxi
5%
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 (71%)
Source CCT Household Survey 2024

Source: City of Cape Town Open Data · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

What are living conditions in Cape Town City Centre?

Full municipal services

Cape Town City Centre 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 , Cape Town CBD survey group (30 households). direct.

Zero households report food insecurity across all measured dimensions
› Zero households report hunger or food deprivation across all measured dimensions.› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R3,981) is 2.4× the city median of R1,674.› No material deprivation recorded across any of the 8 measured dimensions.› High digital connectivity: 96% of households have home internet access.

Access to basic services

99 City median: 85
Piped water
96.0%
Flush toilet
100.0%
Weekly refuse
100.0%
Grid electricity
100.0%

Housing & tenure – Transient or rental-dominated

100 City median: 68
Formal dwellings
100.0%
Owner-occupied
21.6%
Rented
70.4%

Environmental risk – Moderate risk exposure

11 risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26
Flooding risk
4.0%
Fire risk
0.0%
Violent crime
1.4%
Non-violent crime
1.4%

Economic structure – Low material stress

Food spending share
21.0%
Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 94th percentile
Hardship dimensions
0
Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share
5.0%
of households receiving grants
Monthly savings
R116
Weighted mean per household

Spending priorities – top priority: Food

Food
51.2%
of households prioritise
Rent/bond
43.2%
of households prioritise
Petrol/transport
27.0%
of households prioritise
Electricity
23.0%
of households prioritise
Debt repayment
8.1%
of households prioritise

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre
96.0%
City median: 46.5%
Mobile only
4.0%
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
1.6 people
Avg children per household
0.0

Asset ownership

Computer access
90.5%
Fridge ownership
100.0%
Property ownership
0.0%
Geyser ownership
86.5%
Borehole access
1.4%

Home-based economy

Home-based business
4.0%
of households operate a home-based business
WFH part-time
4.0%

How Cape Town City Centre compares

Food insecurity 100% below the city average for adult food insecurity
Material hardship 100% below the city average for material hardship
Income 2.0× the city average for median household income
Food spend share 41% below the city average for food expenditure share

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

Energy access
5%
Free basic electricity
5.6%
City median

5% of electricity connections in Cape Town City Centre 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. 3,369 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Cape Town City Centre?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Cape Town City Centre in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 7,465 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 Cape Town City Centre residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.
1
Median days to resolve
City median: 1
58th
Percentile
across Cape Town
36%
Resolved
same day
Power outage (8%)Meter Replacement Project (7%)Sewerage overflow (6%)Street lights out (3%)Single street light out (3%)
Service requests logged 7 465
Requests resolved 70% (5 229 of 7 465)
75% resolved within 5 days
90% resolved within 14 days
Source CCT service request database
Community & faith

Places of worship

19 registered
Christian
12
Islamic
5
Jewish
1
Other
1

Registered places of worship per suburb from City of Cape Town open data. Coverage: 299 of 744 suburbs.

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Below city average
Complaint rate How is this calculated? 139.6 per 1,000 households
Total complaints 7 459
Unresolved 30.0%

Top issues: No Power (617), Meter Replacement Project (483), SEW: Blocked/Overflow (438)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Cape Town City Centre?

Well served

Healthcare access

9 within 5km
Nearest public Schotscheskloof Satellite · Community Day Centre · 0.8 km
Nearest private Netcare Christiaan Barnard Hospital · Private Hospital · 0.9 km
Public facilities 5
Private facilities 4

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

The nearest fire station to Cape Town City Centre is Roeland Street, 1.4 km away. The nearest public pool is Long Street Swimming Pool, 0.9 km away. The nearest clinic is Schotscheskloof Satellite, 0.8 km away.

Nearest clinic Schotscheskloof Satellite · 0.8 km
Nearest library Central · 0.5 km
Nearest park / open space The Company's Gardens · 0.41 km

Fire station

1.4
km to nearest
fire station
Roeland Street
district hq - west
within-5km
response
category

Cape Town has 32 fire stations serving 744 suburbs. Source: CCT open data.

Public swimming pools

0.9
km to nearest
public pool
3
pools
within 5 km
7
pools
within 10 km
Nearest pool Long Street Swimming Pool

Cape Town operates 35 public swimming pools. Source: CCT open data.

Distances straight-line from suburb centroid.

Source: City of Cape Town facility registry

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Zevenwacht Country Estate R4.5-5M
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St James R5-6M
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Explore surrounding areas

Bordering suburbs

5 adjacent

Suburbs that border or sit adjacent to Cape Town City Centre. Each has its own safety profile, property market, and service data.

Bo Kaap District Six Foreshore Gardens Green Point
Further reading

Related articles

Is Cape Town City Centre Safe? 32/100 Safety Score (2026)
2026-04-24
Building on this data? Access all 744 suburbs via the free REST API or explore commercial access.
Explore rankings: Safest suburbs Best for families Affordable + safe

Cape Town City Centre · -33.9215°S, 18.4214°E

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