Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton

One of the insanely-cool, madly-expensive houses you can buy in Clifton, Cape Town – Photo: Dimitry Kyrgzk / Flickr

Cape Town vs Johannesburg: The most popular suburbs for multi-millionaires [photos]

Millionaires? Boring. Throw a few multi-millionaires our way instead: We’re mapping whereabouts in Cape Town and Johannesburg the ultra-rich live the high life.

Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton

One of the insanely-cool, madly-expensive houses you can buy in Clifton, Cape Town – Photo: Dimitry Kyrgzk / Flickr

Two of South Africa’s largest cities are always competing to attract the big bucks and those who have them. Cape Town has gained a slight edge on Johannesburg in terms of earning power recently, but Johannesburg is home to more than twice as many multi-millionaires as the Mother City.

Data from the New World Wealth Index has helped us map where the mega-money-men-and-women of South Africa are setting up. Whether its overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Town, or breathing in the city panorama in Johannesburg, you can guarantee a room with a view if you’re properly cashed up.

Lifestyles of the rich and (not so) famous: The multi-millionaires of South Africa

But being a millionaire is so last year. Thanks to data provided to us by the New Wealth Index, we’re looking at where the super-rich are living – and considering what brings them to the affluent suburbs of both JHB and CPT. To be classed as a multi-millionaire, you need more than $10 million in the bank. That’s a cool R150 million in our money, however.

We’ve chosen the top six suburbs in each city – based on the number of high earners residing there – to help better understand where society’s elite are basing themselves and why. We’ve turned green with envy just putting this list together…

Cape Town vs Johannesburg – where are the multi-millionaires living?

By a wide margin, Clifton is the costliest suburb in the Mother City – the average price for a three-bed property fetches upwards of R37 million. Even when you’ve got plenty of money, you’ve still got some common sense – and that probably explains why so many multi-millionaires live in the City Bowl.

Around 60 people who have cracked the R150 million mark choose to live dead-central in town. Only Constantia offers cheaper housing in the “top-bracket locations”. The City Bowl has the smallest concentration of homes which cost more than R20 million, whereas Camps Bay boasts the most (180).

On the other side of Mzansi, the plush suburb of Houghton – once home to Nelson Mandela – takes the title of “most popular” amongst the ultra-fancy suburbs of Johannesburg. It’s also home to more multi-millionaires than anywhere else in the country. However, the Sandhurst / Sandton area has a higher number of expensive homes.

Meanwhile, Bryanston offers a rare slice of semi-affordable comfort. You can snap up a three-bed house in this softly-spoken suburb at an average of R3.6 million. Parktown makes the list, but houses a mere 20 citizens who can brag about their bank balance being more than $10 million.

Popular suburbs in Cape Town

City Bowl

  • Average three-bed property price: R10.55 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 60
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: < 30
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Photo: Pixabay

Camps Bay

  • Average three-bed property price: R15.75 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 50
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 180
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Camps Bay, Cape Town – Photo: Coco Parisienne / Pixabay

Bishopscourt

  • Average three-bed property price: R11.04 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 40
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 80
Photo: Hello Baton Rouge / Flickr

Constantia

  • Average three-bed property price: R7.67 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 30
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 90
Photo: Supplied / Pam Golding

Clifton

  • Average three-bed property price: R37.11 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 30
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 100
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Photo: Clifton beach is a popular area for locals and visitors alike, there are many beautiful beaches in Cape Town such as Camps Bay Beach and Llandudno further along the coast. By SkyPixels on Wikimedia Commons.

Bantry Bay / Fresnaye

  • Average three-bed property price: R21.93 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 20
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 70
Cape Town best cities in the world
Aerial view of Bantry Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo: Adobe Stock.

Popular suburbs in Johannesburg

Houghton

  • Average three-bed property price: R21.78 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 130
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 90
Officially the most “elite” suburb in Johannesburg – Photo: Frank Haymann / Flickr

Sandhurst / Sandton

  • Average three-bed property price: R12.48 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 110
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 100
Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton
Penthouses in Sandhurst – Photo: Dimitry Kyrgzk / Flickr

Hyde Park

  • Average three-bed property price: R18.51 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 100
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 90
Hyde Park with a view – Photo: Travel and Dance / Flickr

Bryanston

  • Average three-bed property price: R3.62 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 80
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 70
Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton
Bryanston – Photo: BW Purdy / Flickr

Westcliff

  • Average three-bed property price: Between R5 million – R10 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 50
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: 40
Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton
A dream property for sale in Westcliffe, Johannesburg – Photo: Pam Golding / Supplied

Parktown

  • Average three-bed property price: R4.52 million
  • Number of multi-millionaires who live there: 20
  • Amount of +R20m homes there: < 30
Cape Town Johannesburg multi-millionaires properties Clifton
Parktown – Photo: Flickr / J