The cheapest province to rent property in South Africa

The North West is the cheapest province for South Africans to rent in, with an average rent of just over R7,000 per month. 

This is according to the latest PayProp Rental Index, which showed that despite rentals increasing across all provinces, some are significantly more expensive, on average, than others. 

According to the report, South Africa’s residential rental market was off to a flying start in 2025, with year-on-year growth of 5.2% in January, 6.0% in February, and 5.5% in March.

“February’s spike marked a new post-pandemic record and the highest monthly growth since August 2017,” PayProp said. 

In the first quarter of 2025, the average national rent rose to R9,132, a year-on-year increase of R478 and R81 higher than the previous quarter. 

Quarterly rental growth reached 5.6%, the highest level since Q3 2017’s 5.9%. “It took until Q4 to significantly build on the previous year. In contrast, the start to 2025 has been very strong,” said the report.

All provinces recorded positive rental growth in the first quarter. Additionally, areas that previously showed weakness, such as Mpumalanga, saw notable improvements. 

“Last quarter, Mpumalanga’s market looked like it could turn negative as rental growth fell to just 0.2% after two quarters of decline. But that seems to have been avoided for now,” PayProp noted.

Only three provinces recorded lower rental growth than the previous quarter, and two provinces experienced growth well above average. 

PayProp highlighted that “apart from Gauteng, the weakest-performing provinces in Q4 2024 all experienced higher rental growth in Q1 2025. 

“Investors in Mpumalanga will be especially pleased that they avoided negative rental growth,” PayProp said.

However, PayProp added that the uncertainty caused by an ongoing global trade war and a likely economic slowdown with lower GDP growth forecasts means that rental growth could become more constrained later this year.

The cheapest province for rent

The report highlighted that some provinces saw a sharp increase in rental growth while others continued to lag behind in the first quarter of 2025.

North West emerged as the province with the fastest-growing rental market, posting a remarkable 13.5% year-on-year increase. 

The North West has the lowest average rent in the country at R7,153. However, this is now R852 more than a year ago, and the gap is closing on the next-cheapest province, the Eastern Cape.

The Eastern Cape saw rental growth of 4.4%, a slight improvement over recent quarters but only the sixth fastest in the country. 

The average rent rose to R7,330, up by R309 compared to a year ago. This means the Eastern Cape now has the second-lowest rent in the country, just above the North West.

Limpopo, which had topped the growth rankings at the end of 2024, continued to perform strongly with a 10.9% year-on-year increase. 

Average rent in the province rose by R872 to reach R8,899, and Limpopo is now well ahead of Mpumalanga, which it overtook in Q4 2024.

In contrast, Mpumalanga recorded the weakest rental growth in South Africa. Although it avoided negative territory, rental growth was just 1.1% year-on-year, with the average rent increasing by a mere R91 to R8,460. 

Gauteng, traditionally one of the more expensive provinces, also experienced slow growth. The average rent reached R9,201, just R258 more than a year ago, making it the second slowest-growing province with a modest 2.9% increase. 

With year-on-year growth of 4.5%, KZN’s average rent climbed by R400 to R9,170, only R31 short of Gauteng. If trends continue, KZN could soon overtake Gauteng in rent rankings.

The Free State also surprised on the upside. After a slowdown in late 2024, rental growth more than doubled in Q1 2025 to 7.6%, the fourth-highest in the country. 

This brought the average rent in the province to R7,453, up by R526 year-on-year, and allowed the Free State to overtake the Eastern Cape in affordability rankings.

The Northern Cape showed signs of recovery after a weak 2024. Rental growth climbed to 3.3%, up from 2.6% in the previous quarter. 

While still below average, it now ranks third lowest instead of last. The average rent increased by R307 to R9,581, maintaining the province’s status as the second most expensive in the country.

The Western Cape has the highest rents in the country. Growth in the province fell slightly in Q1 2025, but only to a still impressive 9.6%. 

Falling behind the pacemakers, North West and Limpopo, it still had enough in the tank to post an average rent figure of R11,285, R985 more than a year earlier, and R1,704 ahead of the next most expensive province.