Living in Phola

Phola is a large place in Mpumalanga, South Africa, home to 38,202 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are early retirees (top 8%, #42 of 578), climate-conscious movers (top 11%, #58 of 578), expat professionals (top 22%, #124 of 578).

Residents38,202

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport80 km (O.R. Tambo International)

Nearest city of 100k+25 km

Within 30 km411,600 people

Terrain around itabout 1,570 m, height range 80 m

Main railway line5.4 km

Distance to Bloemfontein443 km

Within 10 km38,202 people

Winter daylight13 h 46 min, sunset 17:55

See Phola on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Phola

On the shortest day the sun is up for 13 h 46 min and sets around 17:55; in late June it sets around 17:21.

How Phola 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 Mpumalanga
Young family	57	#122 of 367	#18 of 92	Map
Low-income household	53	#139 of 578	#16 of 110	Map
Low-income family	58	#143 of 367	#21 of 92	Map
Single parent	60	#132 of 367	#18 of 92	Map
Pensioner couple	71	#115 of 367	#14 of 92	Map
Single pensioner	77	#103 of 367	#19 of 92	Map
Early retiree	72	#42 of 578	#1 of 110	Map
Single professional	35	#132 of 224	#16 of 35	Map
Young professional	37	#133 of 204	#16 of 29	Map
DINKS	39	#121 of 164	#13 of 24	Map
Remote worker	71	#126 of 578	#20 of 110	Map
Commuter	55	#143 of 212	#17 of 30	Map
Car-free household	35	#130 of 168	#17 of 25	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for regional access	–	Map
First-home buyer	56	#145 of 367	#17 of 92	Map
Budget-constrained mover	50	#148 of 578	#24 of 110	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	24	#129 of 186	#17 of 27	Map
Expat professional	47	#124 of 578	#13 of 110	Map
Healthcare-first mover	53	#146 of 367	#26 of 92	Map
Nature-focused household	54	#323 of 578	#45 of 110	Map
Cross-border commuter	11	#186 of 578	#44 of 110	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	19	#450 of 578	#86 of 110	Map
Rural value seeker	44	#297 of 578	#41 of 110	Map
High-net-worth mover	53	#127 of 578	#22 of 110	Map
Lottery winner	48	#126 of 578	#15 of 110	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	71	#58 of 578	#10 of 110	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	58	#128 of 578	#10 of 110	Map
Digital native	27	#152 of 233	#19 of 35	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)100
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)94
Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)92
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)91
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)89
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)85
Flat land (terrain relief)81
Mobility and connectivity71
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)71
Jobs and economy60
Lifestyle and amenities52
Green space42
Education and family42
Foundation30
Affordability29
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)25
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)25
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)15
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)11
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

Emalahleni 25 km
Thubelihle 35 km
Kriel 36 km
Bronkhorstspruit 36 km
Delmas 39 km
Leslie 42 km
Lebohang 43 km
Rethabiseng 44 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.