Living in Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is a city in Free State, South Africa, home to 556,637 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are people who put healthcare first (top 1%, #3 of 367), single parents (top 3%, #8 of 367), low-income families (top 3%, #9 of 367).

Residents556,637

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport9 km (Bram Fischer International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km556,600 people

Climate typeCold semi-arid (BSk)

Terrain around itabout 1,400 m, height range 80 m

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Bloemfontein2 km

Within 10 km556,637 people

Greater areaGreater Bloemfontein, the core

Winter daylight14 h 00 min, sunset 18:14

See Bloemfontein on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Bloemfontein

On the shortest day the sun is up for 14 h 00 min and sets around 18:14; in late June it sets around 17:25.

How Bloemfontein 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 Free State
Young family	55	#154 of 367	#14 of 27	Map
Low-income household	75	#32 of 578	#2 of 69	Map
Low-income family	68	#9 of 367	#2 of 27	Map
Single parent	70	#8 of 367	#2 of 27	Map
Pensioner couple	63	#293 of 367	#23 of 27	Map
Single pensioner	73	#169 of 367	#11 of 27	Map
Early retiree	60	#533 of 578	#65 of 69	Map
Single professional	77	#27 of 224	#2 of 22	Map
Young professional	80	#26 of 204	#2 of 18	Map
DINKS	78	#28 of 164	#2 of 15	Map
Remote worker	76	#69 of 578	#5 of 69	Map
Commuter	86	#30 of 212	#2 of 20	Map
Car-free household	84	#21 of 168	#1 of 13	Map
Student	0	#38 of 74	#4 of 9	Map
First-home buyer	72	#32 of 367	#2 of 27	Map
Budget-constrained mover	73	#23 of 578	#1 of 69	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	79	#22 of 186	#1 of 15	Map
Expat professional	80	#26 of 578	#1 of 69	Map
Healthcare-first mover	89	#3 of 367	#1 of 27	Map
Nature-focused household	10	#564 of 578	#69 of 69	Map
Cross-border commuter	22	#46 of 578	#11 of 69	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#561 of 578	#63 of 69	Map
Rural value seeker	20	#561 of 578	#69 of 69	Map
High-net-worth mover	68	#42 of 578	#4 of 69	Map
Lottery winner	80	#19 of 578	#1 of 69	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	70	#108 of 578	#7 of 69	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	82	#41 of 578	#1 of 69	Map
Digital native	63	#27 of 233	#1 of 22	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Foundation100
Mobility and connectivity100
Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)90
Lifestyle and amenities83
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)80
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)78
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)77
Flat land (terrain relief)77
Jobs and economy66
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)57
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)53
Affordability52
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)28
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)11
Green space4
Education and family4
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)2
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)2
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

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