Living in Grahamstown

Grahamstown is a large place in Eastern Cape, South Africa, home to 91,548 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are climate-conscious movers (top 34%, #194 of 578), movers on a budget (top 35%, #198 of 578), early retirees (top 37%, #212 of 578).

Residents91,548

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport114 km (Chief Dawid Stuurman International)

Nearest city of 100k+93 km

Within 30 km91,500 people

Sea coast44 km

Climate typeOceanic (Cfb)

Terrain around itabout 610 m, height range 280 m

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Bloemfontein466 km

Within 10 km91,548 people

Winter daylight14 h 21 min, sunset 18:23

See Grahamstown on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Grahamstown

On the shortest day the sun is up for 14 h 21 min and sets around 18:23; in late June it sets around 17:14.

How Grahamstown ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in South Africa. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Regional overview: population, geography and modelled indicators for costs, schools and safety.

Profile	Score	In South Africa	In Eastern Cape
Young family	43	#313 of 367	#33 of 33	Map
Low-income household	34	#269 of 578	#22 of 87	Map
Low-income family	48	#271 of 367	#26 of 33	Map
Single parent	48	#283 of 367	#27 of 33	Map
Pensioner couple	69	#170 of 367	#18 of 33	Map
Single pensioner	72	#198 of 367	#18 of 33	Map
Early retiree	66	#212 of 578	#15 of 87	Map
Single professional		not ranked: below the minimum for regional access	–	Map
Young professional		not ranked: below the minimum for commute	–	Map
DINKS		not ranked: below the minimum for regional access	–	Map
Remote worker	64	#223 of 578	#20 of 87	Map
Commuter		not ranked: below the minimum for commute	–	Map
Car-free household		not ranked: below the minimum for commute	–	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	22	#313 of 367	#26 of 33	Map
Budget-constrained mover	46	#198 of 578	#14 of 87	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker		not ranked: below the minimum for regional access	–	Map
Expat professional	22	#279 of 578	#22 of 87	Map
Healthcare-first mover	50	#177 of 367	#15 of 33	Map
Nature-focused household	33	#461 of 578	#75 of 87	Map
Cross-border commuter	0	#342 of 578	#35 of 87	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	31	#335 of 578	#78 of 87	Map
Rural value seeker	33	#463 of 578	#76 of 87	Map
High-net-worth mover	54	#111 of 578	#12 of 87	Map
Lottery winner	36	#205 of 578	#15 of 87	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	68	#194 of 578	#39 of 87	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	12	#333 of 578	#32 of 87	Map
Digital native		not ranked: below the minimum for regional access	–	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)100
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)79
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)60
Foundation57
Lifestyle and amenities47
Affordability36
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)35
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)35
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)32
Jobs and economy30
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)30
Sea or lake shore28
Flat land (terrain relief)28
Mobility and connectivity24
Green space21
Education and family21
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)15
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)13
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)13
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Bathurst 35 km
Alexandria 40 km
Kenton 42 km
Port Alfred 45 km
Paterson 54 km
Peddie 55 km
Fort Beaufort 60 km
Alice 64 km

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.