By town
Retirement Villages · Bridgewater, Somerset West, Somerset West & Helderberg
Faircape life right village of 140 cottages and apartments in Somerset West, with a daily clinic and direct access to Faircape Health frail care.
Retirement Villages · Somerset West & Helderberg
Independent living run by the non-profit Helderberg Society for the Aged.
Retirement Villages · Kirstenhof, Cape Town Southern Suburbs
Faircape Life retirement estate in Kirstenhof, Cape Town, with residents able to use Faircape Health care services.
Retirement Villages · Bergvliet, Cape Town Southern Suburbs
Evergreen village in Bergvliet with a busy social calendar, from bridge and book club to weekly social dinners.
Retirement Villages · Diep River, Cape Town Southern Suburbs
A smaller Evergreen village of 57 one- and two-bedroom apartments, close to Mediclinic Constantiaberg.
Retirement Villages · Lake Michelle, Noordhoek, Fish Hoek & the Far South
Evergreen homes from 143 m² set around the Lake Michelle estate in the Noordhoek valley.
Retirement Villages · Muizenberg, Fish Hoek & the Far South
Evergreen apartments near the False Bay coast, with assisted living services for qualifying apartment life-right holders.
Retirement Villages · Noordhoek, Fish Hoek & the Far South
Evergreen retirement village in the Noordhoek valley with luxury suites, a lifestyle centre and frail and home-based care available.
Retirement Villages · Somerset West & Helderberg
Evergreen village inside Sitari Country Estate with retirement suites, new two-bedroom houses and a 10-bed healthcare centre staffed 24/7.
Retirement Villages · George central, George
Non-profit retirement community just off York Street, founded by George's Round Table, Lions and Rotary clubs, with frail, palliative and respite care at Lyttelton Health Care Centre.
Retirement Villages · George
George retirement village with a medical unit offering frail care plus sub-acute and palliative care for residents recovering after hospital.
Retirement Villages · Somerset West & Helderberg
Large, long-established retirement village at the foot of the Helderberg, with Homeleigh Nursing Services on site: frail care, dementia care and sub-acute beds.
Retirement Villages · Somerset West & Helderberg
Faircape Life retirement village in Somerset West, with residents able to use Faircape Health care services.
Retirement Villages · Langerug, Worcester, Worcester & the Breede Valley
Retirement village in the Langerug suburb of Worcester, below the Brandwacht mountains.
Retirement Villages · Robertson, Worcester & the Breede Valley
Robertson retirement estate with freehold homes, assisted living units and frail care at JE Park, next to a sub-acute and day hospital.
Retirement Villages · Langebaan & West Coast
Secure retirement estate near the Langebaan Lagoon with houses and one- and two-bedroom apartments, and healthcare services on site.
Retirement Villages · Botrivier, Caledon & the Overberg
Retirement village of apartments and duplexes in Botrivier, on the N2 between Grabouw and Caledon.
Retirement Villages · Napier, Caledon & the Overberg
Country retirement village in historic Napier with cottages, courtyard apartments, assisted living and an on-site frail care unit.
Retirement Villages · Noordhoek, Fish Hoek & the Far South
Faircape village of 173 apartments in Noordhoek with on-site frail care, a daily clinic and a pet-friendly policy.
Retirement Villages · Burgundy Estate, Milnerton, Milnerton & Blouberg
New life-right retirement estate in Burgundy Estate with apartments, cottages and houses, a heated indoor pool, gym, bowling green and restaurant.
Retirement Villages · Sunningdale, Blouberg, Milnerton & Blouberg
Life-right retirement estate of pet-friendly houses in Sunningdale, a few minutes from the Blouberg and Melkbos beaches.
Retirement Villages · Onrus, Hermanus
Faircape life right village of about 200 apartments in Onrus near Hermanus, with home-based care in 1 to 24 hour blocks and a daily clinic.
Retirement Villages · Tokai, Cape Town Southern Suburbs
Faircape life right estate of 120 apartments in Tokai, with an on-site clinic and pharmacy and long-term care options.
Retirement Villages · Val de Vie Estate, Paarl
Evergreen's village inside the Val de Vie wine and polo estate, between Paarl and Franschhoek, about eight minutes from Mediclinic Paarl.
The province
The Western Cape is where South Africans go to retire. Close to half of all interprovincial movers now choose the province, Gauteng supplies most of them, and the over-60 share of the population is the second-highest in the country. The result is the deepest market of retirement villages, assisted living and frail care anywhere, and also the longest waiting lists and the steepest prices.
The Helderberg basin around Somerset West has more retirement estates than any other district in South Africa. The Southern Suburbs have the oldest villages and the best private hospitals. Hermanus, the Garden Route and the West Coast offer small-town coastal life at lower prices, further from the city's specialists. Our town guides cover each in turn.
If you are weighing the Cape against staying in Gauteng or moving to the KZN coast, start with where to retire: Western Cape, Gauteng or KZN.
A retirement village is a secure community of houses, cottages or apartments for independent older people. Most have a clubhouse, a dining room or coffee shop, maintained gardens and 24-hour security, and many add a frail care centre so residents can move into care later without leaving.
In South Africa you usually buy in on a life right, on sectional title, or you rent. The model you choose decides what happens to the money when the unit is vacated, so it is worth understanding before you compare prices.
Questions families ask
Somerset West and the Helderberg basin, followed by the Cape Town Southern Suburbs and the Northern Suburbs around Durbanville. Hermanus has the oldest age profile of any town in the province.
Non-profit and church-run homes charge roughly R9,000 to R23,000 a month. Established private care centres charge R27,000 to R40,000 and more. Subsidised homes take about 90 percent of the state pension from residents who qualify.
Yes, by a wide margin for property. House prices in the province have risen about 180 percent since 2010 against roughly 80 percent in Gauteng, and the Western Cape holds most of the country's retirement units priced above R2 million. Monthly care fees are closer between the two.
You pay a once-off amount for the right to live in a unit for life. You do not own it. When the right ends, the village resells it and repays an amount set out in your agreement, which may be a fixed share of the original price or of the resale price. These schemes are regulated by the Housing Development Schemes for Retired Persons Act.
Most villages set a minimum age, commonly between 50 and 60. Check with the village, because the rules differ and some allow a younger spouse.