A quarter of homeowners who sell and then buy a new home choose to move to another province, and the top towns South Africans flock to include Cape Town, Milnerton, Mossel Bay, George, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, South Africa has seen a significant trend of homeowners relocating to different provinces, a phenomenon known as semigration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a 2024 report by Lightstone Property, one in four homeowners who sell their current home and then purchase a new one opt to move to another province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This marks a considerable rise from 2019, when only 16% of such homeowners made interprovincial moves, now reaching 27%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This trend has become a noteworthy part of the South African real estate landscape, particularly affecting those who sell and buy again within the housing market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The data provided excludes first-time buyers, properties owned by multiple individuals, sellers who do not purchase another home, and households that buy again under a different spouse’s name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, the report highlights that approximately 50,000 homeowners participated in this sell-to-buy market in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gauteng and the Western Cape emerge as the dominant regions for these transactions, accounting for 48% and 23% of the sell-to-buy market, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, they make up over 70% of this market segment, leaving the other seven provinces to account for the remaining share. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While many homeowners tend to stay within their home province, there has been a noticeable decline in the percentage of repeat buyers remaining within provincial borders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparing data from 2018\/19 to 2023\/24, this trend shows a decrease across eight of South Africa\u2019s nine provinces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only the Western Cape maintained a relatively stable proportion of homeowners staying within the province, dipping only slightly from 89% to 87%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gauteng, on the other hand, saw a significant 10% drop in repeat buyers choosing to stay in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other provinces, such as the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo, experienced even larger declines, with figures dropping between 9% and 15%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This shift illustrates a growing desire for homeowners to relocate to new provinces, particularly to the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Western Cape remains a favoured destination for semigrants, attracting many people from other provinces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notably, 3,500 homeowners from Gauteng made the move to the Western Cape, with 870 coming from KwaZulu-Natal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In return, around 1,600 homeowners from the other six provinces moved to Gauteng or the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By examining semigration on a town or city level, a clearer picture emerges of where people are choosing to settle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourteen of the top fifteen towns with a net gain in homeowners are located in the Western Cape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cape Town leads the list, with over 1,500 homeowners making the city their new home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milnerton and Mossel Bay follow closely, with net inflows of 1,249 and 651, respectively. George and Somerset West round out the top five, attracting 526 and 497 semigrants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeffrey\u2019s Bay in the Eastern Cape is the only non-Western Cape town on the list, though its distance from the Cape border is not far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The data from Lightstone confirms that the Western Cape continues to draw semigrants from across South Africa, solidifying its status as a preferred destination for those looking for a fresh start in a new province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n#<\/th> Town<\/th> Inflow<\/th> Outflow<\/th> Net inflow<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 1<\/td> Cape Town<\/td> 1,740<\/td> 179<\/td> +1,561<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 2<\/td> Milnerton<\/td> 1,394<\/td> 145<\/td> +1,249<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 3<\/td> Mossel Bay<\/td> 701<\/td> 50<\/td> +651<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 4<\/td> George<\/td> 560<\/td> 34<\/td> +526<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 5<\/td> Somerset West<\/td> 526<\/td> 29<\/td> +497<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 6<\/td> Durbanville<\/td> 448<\/td> 34<\/td> +414<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 7<\/td> St Helena Bay<\/td> 378<\/td> 16<\/td> +362<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 8<\/td> Groot Brakriver<\/td> 360<\/td> 21<\/td> +339<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 9<\/td> Knysna<\/td> 348<\/td> 26<\/td> +322<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 10<\/td> Hermanus<\/td> 333<\/td> 25<\/td> +308<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 11<\/td> Strand<\/td> 312<\/td> 36<\/td> +276<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 12<\/td> Stellenbosch<\/td> 264<\/td> 7<\/td> +257<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 13<\/td> Langebaan<\/td> 263<\/td> 21<\/td> +242<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 14<\/td> Jeffreys Bay<\/td> 333<\/td> 119<\/td> +214<\/mark><\/td><\/tr> 15<\/td> Bellville<\/td> 254<\/td> 44<\/td> +210<\/mark><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
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