Data from the latest PayProp Rental Index showed that South Africa’s rental market showed clear regional divides, with some provinces seeing sharp growth while others lagged behind.
According to BusinessTech, South Africa’s residential rental market had a great start this year, with year-on-year growth of 5.2% in January, 6.0% in February, and 5.5% in March.
The data also highlighted that all provinces recorded positive rental growth in the first quarter, with one in particular standing out as the cheapest province to currently rent in.
How much it costs to rent in each SA province
South Africa’s North West province was found to be the cheapest province for South Africans to rent in, with an average rent of just over R7 000 per month.
The Western Cape has the highest rent prices in the country, with the average rental going for just over R11 000.
Take a look at how each province ranked and how prices increased for the first quarter of 2025:
| Province | Ranking by rent (cheapest to most expensive) | Average rent (Q1 2025) | Year-on-Year growth | Rand increase (YoY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Cape | 1 | R11 285 | 9.6% | R985 |
| Northern Cape | 2 | R9 581 | 3.3% | R307 |
| Gauteng | 3 | R9 201 | 2.9% | R258 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 4 | R9 170 | 4.5% | R400 |
| Limpopo | 5 | R8 899 | 10.9% | R872 |
| Mpumalanga | 6 | R8 460 | 1.1% | R91 |
| Free State | 7 | R7 453 | 7.6% | R526 |
| Eastern Cape | 8 | R7 330 | 4.4% | R309 |
| North West | 9 | R7 153 | 13.5% | R852 |
What’s the most you’ve paid for a rental?
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