Property

Cape Town ranks as one of the best cities in the world

Kirsten Minnaar • 4 October 2025

Cape Town has been ranked among the world’s best cities for long-term remote workers, reaffirming its global appeal with strong infrastructure and a high quality of life.

The latest Savills Executive Nomad Index ranked Cape Town as one of the top 30 international cities for long-term remote workers.

Each city in the index was ranked for internet speed, air connectivity, stability in climate, prime residential market prices and overall quality of life, combining the totals to create an overall ranking.

Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of Pam Golding Properties, Savills’ exclusive residential real estate partner in Africa, explained the growing influence of executive nomads.

“In an increasingly mobile global employment market, the executive nomad has emerged as a distinct and influential class of remote-working professional,” Golding said.

“While embracing location-independent work, executive nomads prioritise quality of lifestyle, luxury accommodation, and robust infrastructure, including reliable digital connectivity, all within secure and aesthetically appealing environments.”

According to Golding, the launch of South Africa’s Digital Nomad Visa programme in May 2024 has strengthened Cape Town’s appeal as a lifestyle and business destination. The city’s thriving prime rental housing market further strengthens this appeal.

“We’ve certainly seen an uptick in foreign nationals operating on tourist visas, working remotely,” said Arno De Wit, Pam Golding Properties rentals manager in the Cape metro and Boland and Overberg regions.

“Executive nomads tend to rent, with ample space and proximity to amenities being priorities.” He noted that in Cape Town’s City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard areas, the demand ranges from R50,000 to R200,000 per month for two or three-bedroom apartments or houses in secure locations.

Properties in this price range also offer proximity to restaurants, cafes, beaches, shops, and the popular Sea Point Promenade, which stretches 7km from Mouille Point to Bantry Bay.

“In Stellenbosch, Somerset West and the sought-after Val de Vie winelands lifestyle estate in Paarl, we’ve seen demand from a similar tenant demographic, mainly in the R50,000 to R100,000 per month price band,” De Wit said.

Notably, Cape Town’s prime rents, quality of life, and climate benefited the city in the ranking. However, its internet speed and air connectivity were less competitive than those of other cities in the ranking.

Global cities shine

Destinations included in the Savills Index have a digital nomad visa programme or equivalent. In the case of the United States and European countries, they are already part of a large economic bloc that allows free movement of people for living or work.

They offer favourable climates year-round, a high quality of life and have established prime residential markets. Dubai ranked as the best city in the world for remote workers, followed by Abu Dhabi, Málaga, Miami and Lisbon.

This ranking is unsurprising, as Dubai is an incredibly popular destination for expats, who make up about 85% of the country’s population.

It is considered one of the top five luxury residential markets globally, and is also recognised as one of the safest and fastest-growing cities in the world.

The country’s central location further adds to its appeal, since it is approximately eight hours’ travel from critical regions such as Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

New entrants to the Savills index for 2025 include Tokyo (11th), Auckland (9th), Crete (15th), Vancouver (18th) and Berlin (28th).

“The landscape for executive nomads is changing. Markets are creating new strategies to attract digital and executive nomads,” said Kelcie Sellers, associate director of Savills World Research.

“Two new countries to our index, Canada and New Zealand, do not offer explicit digital nomad visas but instead have long-term visitor visas that have been revised to allow for fully remote employment for the duration of an individual’s stay.”

The Cape Town rental properties below fall the popular price category for executive nomads.