Cape Town beats London, New York and Sydney in global ranking
Cape Town has been the sixth best-performing market for prime residential property in the world in 2025 so far, as many wealthy property buyers are drawn to the city’s lifestyle benefits.
According to Savills’ World Cities Prime Residential Index, global residential markets remain active, even if momentum has slowed due to macroeconomic and political uncertainty.
Following a strong 2024, acceleration in price growth slowed from 2.2% for the full year to 0.7% in the first half of 2025.
Despite a slowdown in price growth, Savills noted a clear trend towards safety and quality in the prime residential markets of many cities.
“This shift is placing increased demand pressure on the most desirable locations, where supply remains constrained,” it said.
Cape Town saw the sixth-highest growth in capital value out of any city worldwide at 3.2% in the first half of 2025. This put it ahead of Sydney, New York, Barcelona, London, Miami, Los Angeles, Paris and more.
Despite the strong growth, Cape Town remains relatively affordable at €2,600 (R54,412) per sqm, far lower than the top performer, Tokyo’s €22,900 (R470,431).
Savills said cities with strong lifestyle appeal, including Cape Town, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Sydney, have demonstrated resilience in macroeconomic headwinds.
Each of these markets has reported positive capital value growth, supported by low prime stock levels and sustained demand.
“The lifestyle-driven nature of these markets continues to attract buyers, many of whom are less sensitive to short-term economic fluctuations,” said Pam Golding Properties CEO Andrew Golding.
Pam Golding Properties is Savills’ exclusive residential real estate partner in Africa.
The sustained level of demand is likely to further support price growth through the remainder of the year, with Cape Town forecast to grow by 6% or more.
The world’s best performer was Tokyo, with increased demand and constrained stock, propelling the city to the top of the capital value and rental growth indices, with large amounts of domestic and international interest.
In the UAE, residential markets continue to show resilience. Although the pace of growth has eased from the elevated levels seen in recent months in Dubai, the trajectory is still positive.
Milan is also of sustained international interest, underpinned by economic diversification and, like Cape Town, lifestyle appeal.
This sustained level of demand should support further price growth through the remainder of the year, with Cape Town forecast to grow by 6% to 7.9%.
| City | Capital value growth – H1 2025 | Capital value forecast – H2 2025 | Prime capital value June 2025 (US$ psf) | Prime capital value June 2025 (€ psm) |
| Tokyo | 8.8% | +6% to 7.9% | $2,330 | €22,900 |
| Berlin | 7.2% | 0.0% | $1,200 | €11,800 |
| Dubai | 5.7% | +4% to 5.9% | $980 | €9,600 |
| Seoul | 5.1% | +6% to 7.9% | $1,950 | €19,300 |
| Amsterdam | 3.6% | +2% to 3.9% | $1,070 | €10,500 |
| Cape Town | 3.2% | +6% to 7.9% | $260 | €2,600 |
| Geneva | 2.7% | 0.0% | $2,460 | €24,300 |
| Lisbon | 2.4% | +4% to 5.9% | $1,440 | €14,200 |
| Sydney | 1.8% | +4% to 5.9% | $2,000 | €19,700 |
| New York | 1.2% | -1.9% to 0% | $2,610 | €25,800 |
| Madrid | 0.9% | +2% to 3.9% | $1,120 | €11,100 |
| Athens | 0.8% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,190 | €11,700 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 0.6% | 0% to 1.9% | $240 | €2,400 |
| Barcelona | 0.5% | +2% to 3.9% | $940 | €9,300 |
| Rome | 0.5% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,460 | €14,400 |
| Mumbai | 0.4% | +2% to 3.9% | $1,200 | €11,900 |
| Singapore | 0.2% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,810 | €17,800 |
| Milan | 0.0% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,520 | €15,000 |
| Beijing | -0.5% | 0.0% | $1,490 | €14,700 |
| San Francisco | -0.6% | -1.9% to 0% | $1,400 | €13,800 |
| Paris | -0.7% | 0.0% | $1,860 | €18,300 |
| Hangzhou | -0.7% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,200 | €11,800 |
| Shanghai | -1.5% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,980 | €19,500 |
| London | -1.6% | -3.9% to -2% | $1,900 | €18,800 |
| Shenzhen | -1.7% | -1.9% to 0% | $1,440 | €14,200 |
| Bangkok | -2.3% | 0% to 1.9% | $1,050 | €10,400 |
| Miami | -3.0% | -1.9% to 0% | $1,440 | €14,200 |
| Los Angeles | -3.1% | -1.9% to 0% | $1,430 | €14,100 |
| Hong Kong | -3.5% | 0.0% | $3,720 | €36,700 |
| Guangzhou | -4.3% | -3.9% to -2% | $1,420 | €14,000 |
Even better on rent
Cape Town was not only a strong performer in the overall index, but it has also seen strong rental growth recently.
The city saw rental growth of 6.5%, which was again driven by a shortage of prime residential properties and high demand, as well as stability in the market following the 2024 elections.
This made it the third-best performer in the world after Tokyo and Los Angeles. Cape Town beat several other cities, including Berlin, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sydney and New York.
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