This percentage increased alongside housing values, with approximately 39% of properties worth more than R20 million likely to be bought by non-South African citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This trend of wealthy foreign nationals entering South Africa’s property market is often associated with the Western Cape, but other provinces have experienced similar patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lightstone found that provinces such as Gauteng and Limpopo also had high numbers of foreign property buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group also noted that the KwaZulu-Natal north coast had seen high levels of foreign investment, including areas such as Zimbali, Ballito, and Salt Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite high numbers from these areas, the Western Cape still led with the highest number of foreign property buyers of any province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This high level of foreign property investment is evident in Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard, one of South Africa’s most expensive areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The area includes suburbs such as Sea Point and Clifton, with Sea Point seeing the highest number of foreign property buyers along the Atlantic Seaboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Sea Point, Lightstone found that 1,118 properties had been bought by foreign nationals, at an average price of R5.4 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group also observed that areas such as Bakoven and Camps Bay had nearly 50% of their properties bought by non-South African citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several key reasons for foreign property buyers’ interest in Cape Town, including its coastal lifestyle and strong municipal service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city also offers a lower cost of living than many European coastal areas, while still offering impressive natural beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The high amount of foreign investment could be a worrying sign for South Africans looking to buy property in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In December 2025 alone, Western Cape property prices increased by 7.5% year-on-year, following a pattern of consistent price increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The price increases have had a worrying impact on the area’s cost of living, with many warning that South Africans could become priced out of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Foreign property buyers are not the only factor driving up property prices, with semigration also boosting demand for homes in Cape Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Semigration refers to South Africans from inland areas, such as Gauteng, moving to Cape Town and other high-value coastal areas in search of a different lifestyle and a higher standard of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trend has taken off in South Africa, with Cape Town becoming the semigration hotspot in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lightstone-property-trends-1024x538.jpg\")
<\/a>Not just foreign investment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n