Living in Mthatha

Mthatha is a city in Eastern Cape, South Africa, home to 164,848 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are young families (top 5%, #15 of 367), single parents (top 11%, #38 of 367), low-income families (top 11%, #39 of 367).

Residents164,848

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport185 km (King Phalo)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km170,300 people

Sea coast54 km

Climate typeOceanic (Cfb)

Terrain around itabout 730 m, height range 250 m

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Bloemfontein368 km

Within 10 km164,848 people

Winter daylight14 h 13 min, sunset 18:10

See Mthatha on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Mthatha

On the shortest day the sun is up for 14 h 13 min and sets around 18:10; in late June it sets around 17:09.

How Mthatha 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	64	#15 of 367	#3 of 33	Map
Low-income household	63	#83 of 578	#10 of 87	Map
Low-income family	66	#39 of 367	#7 of 33	Map
Single parent	68	#38 of 367	#7 of 33	Map
Pensioner couple	71	#127 of 367	#14 of 33	Map
Single pensioner	77	#109 of 367	#9 of 33	Map
Early retiree	68	#138 of 578	#5 of 87	Map
Single professional	57	#74 of 224	#7 of 22	Map
Young professional	60	#73 of 204	#7 of 21	Map
DINKS	57	#79 of 164	#7 of 16	Map
Remote worker	71	#120 of 578	#12 of 87	Map
Commuter	74	#68 of 212	#7 of 21	Map
Car-free household	70	#58 of 168	#6 of 16	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	65	#70 of 367	#8 of 33	Map
Budget-constrained mover	56	#91 of 578	#11 of 87	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	59	#61 of 186	#6 of 20	Map
Expat professional	48	#119 of 578	#12 of 87	Map
Healthcare-first mover	64	#81 of 367	#11 of 33	Map
Nature-focused household	27	#514 of 578	#78 of 87	Map
Cross-border commuter	13	#156 of 578	#15 of 87	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	27	#383 of 578	#80 of 87	Map
Rural value seeker	30	#498 of 578	#79 of 87	Map
High-net-worth mover	65	#58 of 578	#5 of 87	Map
Lottery winner	56	#87 of 578	#9 of 87	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	69	#116 of 578	#15 of 87	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	54	#149 of 578	#13 of 87	Map
Digital native	46	#73 of 233	#9 of 24	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
Foundation75
Lifestyle and amenities59
Mobility and connectivity50
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)49
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)49
Jobs and economy43
Affordability43
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)33
Flat land (terrain relief)33
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)30
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)15
Green space11
Education and family11
Sea or lake shore10
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)9
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)7
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)7
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

Libode 23 km
Tsolo 31 km
Qumbu 48 km
Ugie 68 km
Maclear 71 km
Port Saint John’s 72 km
Dutywa 72 km
Ngcobo 75 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.