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Gardens

Safety 31/100 Safer than 34% of Cape Town suburbs (relative) Property 2-2.5M Top 4% Schools 7 97% matric pass rate Healthcare 8 facilities more access than most suburbs Council Near avg complaints 1d median resolution Transport Minibus taxi coverage well-connected area

Data current as of

#13 Best Schools

The neighbourhood

What's it like to live here?

Gardens is a neighbourhood in Atlantic Seaboard, 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 Gardens, crime levels are stable based on the most recent quarterly comparison. Property values have remained relatively flat between valuation rolls.

What should buyers know?

Gardens is well-served by schools, and matric results exceed the city average by a comfortable margin. 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 Gardens 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
Precinct population note: This suburb shares Cape Town Central police precinct with Cape Town City Centre, which accounts for 83% of the precinct's residential population. The safety index is based on the whole precinct, where Cape Town City Centre accounts for most of the population. This may not fully reflect conditions in Gardens specifically.

Household survey context: Household survey data indicates 2.4% of households in Gardens report violent crime victimisation and 4.9% report non-violent crime victimisation (2024 CCT Household Survey). These figures reflect residents' lived experience, independent of SAPS precinct boundaries.

This data reflects crimes reported to SAPS Cape Town Central precinct, which covers Gardens 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 Gardens?

96th percentile

Planned development

0 hectares of land in Gardens are earmarked for new development across 1 parcel.

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

The median property value in Gardens is R7M. Property values have declined by 1.4% per year since 2018.

The -1.4% 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 – Gardens 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 R7,000,000
Value growth (CAGR 2018–2022) -1.4% per year → Consolidating
City-wide value percentile 96th percentile
Dominant value band 2-2.5M
Source CCT GV 2022 · Open Data Policy 27781

Source: City of Cape Town GV2022

FOR PARENTS

How are schools in Gardens?

7 schools nearby

Gardens has 7 schools within reach. The area matric pass rate is 97.0%, above the city median of 90.0%. Schools include Lycee Francais Du Cap Francois Le Vaill.

Adjusted pass rate
97.0%
City median: 90.0%
Schools contributing
2
169 candidates
Median quintile
Q5
Q4-Q5
IND
Lycee Francais Du Cap Francois Le Vaill
Independent · Grades R–12 · 334 learners · 8.1:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateQuintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
IND
Cape Town Torah High School
Independent · Grades R–12 · 49 learners · 6.1:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateNo-fee schoolFavourable class size
IND
Growing Minds Learning And Therapy Cent
Independent · Grades R–7 · 56 learners · 5.1:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateQuintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
IND
Boost Academy Cape Town
Independent · Grades R–12 · 14 learners · 3.5:1 learner-educator ratio
PrivateFavourable class size
Q5
Jan Van Riebeeck Primêre Skool
Public · Grades R–7 · 520 learners · 15.3:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Good Hope Seminary High School
Public · Grades 8–12 · 534 learners · 22.2:1 learner-educator ratio
Quintile 5School fees applyFavourable class size
Q5
Jan Van Riebeeck Hoërskool
Public · Grades 8–12 · 447 learners · 13.1:1 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 Gardens?

Private vehicle dominant

Gardens has 10 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 ›

Moderate connectivity
10 routes
44th percentile · 9 destinations · CBD-connected
Cable way station, Camps bay (via kloof rd), Cape town, Cape town (station deck), Gardens, Hout bay (via kloof rd) +3 more
Based on CCT minibus taxi route data. Routes matched by name and spatial proximity (500m). Methodology ›

Commute mode share

Anyone relocating to Gardens 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
4%
MyCiTi bus
6%
Minibus taxi
6%
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 Gardens?

Full municipal services

Gardens has a service delivery index of 99.4 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 , Gardens survey group (41 households). direct.

12% of households have experienced flooding
› Monthly accommodation expenditure (R6,498) is 3.9× the city median of R1,674.› High digital connectivity: 85% of households have home internet access.› 12% of households have experienced flooding, indicating elevated environmental vulnerability.

Access to basic services

99 City median: 85
Piped water
100.0%
Flush toilet
100.0%
Weekly refuse
97.6%
Grid electricity
100.0%

Housing & tenure – Informal or family-compound housing

100 City median: 68
Formal dwellings
100.0%
Owner-occupied
36.6%
Rented
46.3%

Environmental risk – Elevated risk exposure

39 risk index · higher = greater risk · City median: 26
Flooding risk
12.2%
Fire risk
0.0%
Violent crime
2.4%
Non-violent crime
4.9%

Economic structure – Moderate material pressure

Food spending share
23.5%
Share of income spent on food
City median: 35.3%
Comfortable, moderate discretionary income · 89th percentile
Hardship dimensions
0
Areas of material need (out of 8)
Grant income share
12.0%
of households receiving grants
Monthly savings
R1,320
Weighted mean per household

Spending priorities – top priority: Food

Food
82.9%
of households prioritise
Electricity
75.6%
of households prioritise
Petrol/transport
58.5%
of households prioritise
Rent/bond
34.1%
of households prioritise
School fees
17.1%
of households prioritise

Digital inclusion – Fibre-connected suburb

Home fibre
85.4%
City median: 46.5%
Mobile only
14.6%
No access
0.0%

Food security

Adult food insecurity
2.4%
City median: 18.3%
Child food insecurity
0.0%
City median: 13.0%
Food insecurity prevalence
4.9%
City median: 22.3%

Demographics & community

Avg household size
2.0 people
Avg children per household
0.3

Asset ownership

Computer access
80.5%
Fridge ownership
100.0%
Property ownership
4.9%
Geyser ownership
90.2%
Borehole access
7.3%

Home-based economy

Home-based business
12.2%
of households operate a home-based business
WFH full-time
7.3%
WFH part-time
2.4%

How Gardens compares

Food insecurity 87% below the city average for adult food insecurity
Material hardship 87% below the city average for material hardship
Income 4.0× the city average for median household income
Food spend share 33% below the city average for food expenditure share

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

Energy access
2%
Free basic electricity
5.6%
City median

2% of electricity connections in Gardens 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. 8,629 connections.

Source: City of Cape Town household survey · 2024

FOR RESIDENTS

How responsive are municipal services in Gardens?

Highly responsive

The City of Cape Town resolves service requests in Gardens in a median of 1 day, compared to the city-wide median of 1 day. This is based on 10,023 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 Gardens residents experience responsive municipal service – a signal of well-maintained infrastructure and efficient complaint routing.
1
Median days to resolve
City median: 1
65th
Percentile
across Cape Town
37%
Resolved
same day
Power outage (11%)Street lights out (4%)Sewerage overflow (4%)Single street light out (4%)No supply (3%)
Service requests logged 10 023
Requests resolved 77% (7 694 of 10 023)
75% resolved within 5 days
90% resolved within 14 days
Source CCT service request database
Community & faith

Places of worship

10 registered
Christian
10

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

Municipal complaints

Complaints & top issues

Near city average
Complaint rate How is this calculated? 2247.8 per 1,000 households
Total complaints 9 968
Unresolved 23.0%

Top issues: No Power (1 096), Street Lights - All Lights Out (418), SEW: Blocked/Overflow (415)

Source: City of Cape Town C3 service requests

FOR FAMILIES

What services are near Gardens?

Well served

Healthcare access

8 within 5km
Nearest public Schotscheskloof Satellite · Community Day Centre · 1.8 km
Nearest private Mediclinic Cape Town · Private Hospital · 0.2 km
Public facilities 4
Private facilities 4

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

The nearest fire station to Gardens is Roeland Street, 1.5 km away. The nearest public pool is Long Street Swimming Pool, 1.0 km away. The nearest clinic is Mediclinic Cape Town, 0.2 km away.

Nearest clinic Mediclinic Cape Town · 0.2 km
Nearest library Kloof Street · 0.2 km
Nearest park / open space De Waal Park · 0.23 km

Fire station

1.5
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

1
km to nearest
public pool
3
pools
within 5 km
5
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

Similar suburbs

Cape Town City Centre R1.5-2M
31 →
Klein Zevenwacht R6-7M
29 →
Zevenwacht Country Estate R4.5-5M
29 →
St James R5-6M
26 →
Kalk Bay R3.5-4M
26 →
Explore surrounding areas

Bordering suburbs

7 adjacent

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

Bo Kaap Cape Town City Centre District Six Oranjezicht Signal Hill Lions Head Tamboerskloof Vredehoek
Further reading

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Gardens · -33.9354°S, 18.4091°E

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