Spring is back on the four beaches. What moved this month: prices, rules, openings and the people who live here.
By Samantha, Sellect · 18 October 2026 · 4 min readOne of eight Cape Town beaches awarded for 2026, announced 9 October.
A bar and café in one, Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 1 am.
Galileo screenings run from 15 October to mid-May.
Fewer than two sales a month: one penthouse can move the median, so read the trend, not a single sale.
Values up about 17 % city-wide, rate cut 10 %. In Clifton, most bills still go up.
Homes let short-term more than half the year now pay commercial rates.
A draft by-law would require a City number on every short-term listing.
Up to ten apartments, 90 m from the beach. Residents have objected.
1970s houses bought for R30–40m, demolished and rebuilt as villas.
The City's earlier development plan was challenged in court. Any new plan goes back to the public.
Address and email: you get a price range and the reasons behind it, then an update every month.
Estimate my home
Coffee by day, drinks until 1 am. Wednesday to Sunday.
The Test Kitchen team, in the historic Roundhouse above Camps Bay.
Café Caprice, Paranga, La Belle Bistro, Umi and its whisky bar.
All four are sheltered from the South Easter. The water stays cold all year.
Every month, we meet a resident and ask the same three questions: their favourite spot, what has changed, and what they would never give up.
"[Her favourite spot in Clifton, in her own words.]"
"[What has changed in the water and on the beach.]"
In April a swimmer nearly drowned at 2nd Beach and was saved by a surfer. Swim where lifeguards are on duty.
Victoria Road fills by mid-morning in season. A garage is worth gold here.
Beaches are reached by steep steps. Count them before you buy.
The ratepayers' association opposes selling public land and pathways for private projects.
The median reached about R31.2 million for January to May 2026 (Lightstone). Over the 12 months to early 2026, apartment sales averaged about R21.2 million, from R4.1 million to R62 million.
About 18 in the 12 months to early 2026: 11 apartments and 7 houses, taking around 128 days to sell.
It depends on each building's rules. City-wide, homes let short-term more than half the year pay commercial rates, and a draft by-law would require registration.
Yes, for 2026. The award was announced on 9 October 2026.
Yes. Financing is harder for non-residents, so most buy in cash or with a loan from home. Ask Samantha for our guide to buying from abroad.
With so few sales, medians and averages move a lot. Next update: November 2026.
Neighbours sharing what matters, as it happens. No spam, no sales pitches.