The state of the City Bowl, October 2026
From the City Centre to Vredehoek, 5,259 homes were registered as sold in the City Bowl since January 2023, and apartment prices are up 27 % in the same buildings. Here is how the 6 neighbourhoods compare, and what happened in the City Bowl this month.
Data: City of Cape Town public records, 5,259 registered sales, last updated October 2026.
By Samantha, Sellect · Sales registered Jan 2023 to Sep 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 · MethodThe City Bowl in 60 seconds
City Centre to Vredehoek · City of Cape Town registered salesThe City Bowl is the natural amphitheatre enclosed by Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, Lion's Head and Signal Hill, open to Table Bay and the harbour. It takes in the City Centre and the Bo-Kaap, and the residential suburbs of Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht and Vredehoek, which climb towards the mountain. It is one of the densest parts of Cape Town, with about 118,000 residents on 33 km² at the 2011 census.
What happened in the City Bowl this month
Openings, roads, safety and dates to keep, checked against the sources listed at the bottom of the page.
Halloween zombies on Government Avenue
Costumed zombies gather at 109 Government Avenue at 5pm on Halloween, with an 18+ afterparty.
City CentreSourceNelson Mandela Marathon closes city roads
Darling, Adderley, Long and Heerengracht Streets were closed from 4:30am to 1:30pm for the race, which started at the Grand Parade and sent its 21 km race through District Six and the Bo-Kaap.
City Centre, Bo-KaapSourceCape Malay choirs compete at Artscape
The Cape Malay Choir Board's annual choral competition opened on 16 October, with sectional rounds at Artscape over the weekend.
City CentreSourceVredehoek CID vote nears its deadline
Owners in Vredehoek and Devil's Peak have until 31 October to reach the 60 % consent needed for a City Improvement District.
VredehoekSourceCafe Sofi turns one
The all-day café and cocktail bar at 2 Park Road, in the Longkloof Precinct, celebrated its first birthday.
GardensSourceSAOTA marks 40 years with a free exhibition
Shaped by Place runs until 31 October at Brundyn Arts & Culture, Mandela Rhodes Place, 21 Church Street, on weekdays from 10am to 5pm.
City CentreSourceLe Pickle opens on Bree Street
The smash-burger brand from De Waterkant opened its third branch at 215 Bree Street, with an official launch on 2 October.
215 Bree StreetSourceCID plan sets out its homelessness approach
The proposed Vredehoek CID would fund daily outreach and a social worker, and offer paid cleaning work to people ready for it.
VredehoekSourceMount Nelson enters The World's 50 Best Hotels
The Belmond hotel in Gardens, open since 1899, was ranked number 34 in the 2026 list, unveiled in Paris.
Mount Nelson, GardensSource6 neighbourhoods, from R38,000 to R49,000 per m²
Click a column to re-rank. Prices are medians of sales registered since January 2025. Price trends compare full years 2023 and 2025 within the same buildings. “Few sales”: under 40 sales since 2025, read with care.
The City Bowl costs less per m² than the Atlantic Seaboard, and its neighbourhoods sit much closer together on price. The City Centre carries the volume, with small apartments bought to live in or to let. Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht and Vredehoek climb towards the mountain with larger flats and houses, and the Bo-Kaap is a small market of its own, shaped by heritage rules.
| # | Neighbourhood | Price per m² | Median apartment | Median house | Price trend 2023 to 2025 | Sales 2025 | Above municipal value | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town City Centre | R49,368 | R2.33m | R6.05m | +15 % | 825 | · | 7.1 % |
| 2 | Tamboerskloof | R47,883 | R3.30m | R11.00m | +17 % | 106 | +23 % | 7.2 % |
| 3 | Oranjezicht | R44,271 | R2.55m | R10.50m | +21 % | 103 | +21 % | 7.7 % |
| 4 | Vredehoek | R43,938 | R3.20m | R6.36m | +19 % | 209 | +26 % | 7.5 % |
| 5 | Gardens | R43,508 | R2.86m | R9.00m | +14 % | 306 | +19 % | 7.5 % |
| 6 | Bo-Kaap | R37,975 | R3.45m | R4.18m | · | 59 | +2 % | 7.3 % |
· not enough sales (or no matched municipal values) for a reliable figure. Gross yield: Sellect rent estimate for a median apartment, divided by its price.
Most expensive per m²
- 1City CentreR49,368
- 2TamboerskloofR47,883
- 3OranjezichtR44,271
Fastest rising, 2023 to 2025
- 1Oranjezicht+21 %
- 2Vredehoek+19 %
- 3Tamboerskloof+17 %
Most active market in 2025
- 1City Centre825 sales
- 2Gardens306 sales
- 3Vredehoek209 sales
Biggest premium over municipal value
- 1Vredehoek+26 %
- 2Tamboerskloof+23 %
- 3Oranjezicht+21 %
Best gross rental yield
- 1Oranjezicht7.7 %
- 2Gardens7.5 %
- 3Vredehoek7.5 %
Cheapest way in (1 apartment in 10 sells below)
- 1Bo-KaapR1.30m
- 2City CentreR1.40m
- 3OranjezichtR1.62m
Where the City Bowl sells, and at what price
Every dot is a home sold since January 2023, placed where the City of Cape Town records it.
City Centre and Gardens carry most of the market: 1,131 of the 1,585 sales registered in 2025. The suburbs higher up the slopes sell fewer, larger homes.
Compare at a glance: price per m², same colour scale
Dark: below the City Bowl median. Light blue: around it. Gold: the top of the market. Each map is scaled to its own neighbourhood.
Six neighbourhoods, side by side
Since January 2025 unless stated. Street View images © Google.
Cape Town City Centre
- Price per m²
- R49,368
- Median apartment
- R2.33m
- Median house
- R6.05m
- Trend to Sep 2026
- +23 %
- Sales in 2025
- 825
- Above municipal value
- ·
The old town grid of Bree, Loop and Long Streets, where offices, galleries and restaurants now share the blocks with a fast-growing number of apartments.
City Centre property pricesBo-Kaap
- Price per m²
- R37,975
- Median apartment
- R3.45m
- Median house
- R4.18m
- Trend 2023 to 2025
- Few sales
- Sales in 2025
- 59
- Above municipal value
- +2 %
Painted houses on the slopes of Signal Hill, South Africa's oldest mosque and a Cape Muslim community that still shapes daily life.
Bo-Kaap property pricesGardens
- Price per m²
- R43,508
- Median apartment
- R2.86m
- Median house
- R9.00m
- Trend to Aug 2026
- +33 %
- Sales in 2025
- 306
- Above municipal value
- +19 %
Kloof Street's restaurants, the Company's Garden and the city's big museums, on slopes that rise through Higgovale to the foot of Table Mountain.
Gardens property pricesTamboerskloof
- Price per m²
- R47,883
- Median apartment
- R3.30m
- Median house
- R11.00m
- Trend to Jul 2026
- +42 %
- Sales in 2025
- 106
- Above municipal value
- +23 %
Steep residential streets under Lion's Head, between the cafés of Kloof Street and the mountain pass at Kloof Nek.
Tamboerskloof property pricesOranjezicht
- Price per m²
- R44,271
- Median apartment
- R2.55m
- Median house
- R10.50m
- Trend to Aug 2026
- +43 %
- Sales in 2025
- 103
- Above municipal value
- +21 %
The City Bowl's top tier under Table Mountain, built around De Waal Park, a Victorian reservoir and an organic city farm.
Oranjezicht property pricesVredehoek
- Price per m²
- R43,938
- Median apartment
- R3.20m
- Median house
- R6.36m
- Trend to Aug 2026
- +33 %
- Sales in 2025
- 209
- Above municipal value
- +26 %
A quiet mountainside suburb under Devil's Peak, with Deer Park on its doorstep, the Disa Park towers above and wide views over the harbour.
Vredehoek property pricesWhere does your home sit in the City Bowl?
Enter your address: a value range built from these sales and the comparables in your own building, plus your monthly rent, in 60 seconds. Free, and no agent will call you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive neighbourhood in the City Bowl?
Cape Town City Centre, at a median of R49,368 per m² for homes sold since January 2025, followed by Tamboerskloof (R47,883) and Oranjezicht (R44,271). Figures for the smallest markets rest on few sales.
Where are City Bowl prices rising fastest?
Comparing full years 2023 and 2025 within the same buildings, apartment prices rose most in Oranjezicht (+21 %), Vredehoek (+19 %) and Tamboerskloof (+17 %). Across the City Bowl, prices are up +27 % since 2023.
How many homes sell in the City Bowl each year?
1,585 homes were registered as sold in 2025 in the City Bowl, worth R6.4bn. Cape Town City Centre alone accounts for 52 % of those sales.
What is the cheapest neighbourhood in the City Bowl?
For apartments, the lowest entry prices are in Bo-Kaap and Cape Town City Centre, where one apartment in ten sold for under R1.40m since January 2025.
Where is the best rental yield in the City Bowl?
Smaller, cheaper apartments yield the most: Oranjezicht (about 7.7 % gross), Gardens (7.5 %) and Vredehoek (7.5 %), against about 7.1 % in Cape Town City Centre.
Where do these figures come from?
From 5,259 sales registered at the Deeds Office and published by the City of Cape Town between Jan 2023 and Sep 2026, matched with the City’s 2025 General Valuation Roll and analysed by Sellect. Bundles, parking bays, storerooms and implausible prices are excluded. Rents are Sellect estimates. Figures are medians and indicative, not a valuation.
Full neighbourhood reports
- Mzoli's reopens in Gardens (7 Sep 2026)
- SAOTA marks 40 years with a free exhibition (1 Oct 2026)
- Cafe Sofi turns one (13 Oct 2026)
- Vredehoek CID vote nears its deadline (14 Oct 2026)
- Cape Malay choirs compete at Artscape (16 Oct 2026)
- Nelson Mandela Marathon closes city roads (18 Oct 2026)
- Halloween zombies on Government Avenue (31 Oct 2026)
- The Madison set to rise on Bree Street (8 Sep 2026)
- Le Pickle opens on Bree Street (30 Sep 2026)
- Residents prepare legal challenge to Buitengracht aparthotel (2 Sep 2026)
- Mount Nelson enters The World's 50 Best Hotels (17 Sep 2026)
- Kloof Nek Road truck lane shows early results (15 Sep 2026)
- Oranjezicht Market expected to move again (8 Sep 2026)
- CID plan sets out its homelessness approach (27 Sep 2026)
- City Bowl (Wikipedia)
- Vredehoek (Wikipedia)