Living in Potchefstroom

Potchefstroom is a city in North West, South Africa, home to 178,285 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are young families (top 5%, #18 of 367), low-income families (top 11%, #38 of 367), single parents (top 11%, #39 of 367).

Residents178,285

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport119 km (Lanseria International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km178,300 people

Climate typeHot semi-arid (BSh)

Terrain around itabout 1,340 m, height range 80 m

Main railway line2.2 km

Distance to Bloemfontein281 km

Within 10 km178,285 people

Winter daylight13 h 49 min, sunset 18:05

See Potchefstroom on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Potchefstroom

On the shortest day the sun is up for 13 h 49 min and sets around 18:05; in late June it sets around 17:27.

How Potchefstroom 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 North West
Young family	64	#18 of 367	#3 of 28	Map
Low-income household	64	#78 of 578	#6 of 43	Map
Low-income family	66	#38 of 367	#3 of 28	Map
Single parent	68	#39 of 367	#3 of 28	Map
Pensioner couple	71	#122 of 367	#5 of 28	Map
Single pensioner	79	#77 of 367	#4 of 28	Map
Early retiree	67	#189 of 578	#11 of 43	Map
Single professional	58	#68 of 224	#5 of 19	Map
Young professional	62	#66 of 204	#5 of 17	Map
DINKS	59	#72 of 164	#6 of 12	Map
Remote worker	74	#86 of 578	#4 of 43	Map
Commuter	75	#65 of 212	#6 of 17	Map
Car-free household	71	#54 of 168	#3 of 14	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	66	#66 of 367	#6 of 28	Map
Budget-constrained mover	59	#79 of 578	#5 of 43	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	60	#58 of 186	#3 of 15	Map
Expat professional	54	#99 of 578	#8 of 43	Map
Healthcare-first mover	71	#58 of 367	#3 of 28	Map
Nature-focused household	26	#518 of 578	#40 of 43	Map
Cross-border commuter	16	#116 of 578	#6 of 43	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	7	#538 of 578	#36 of 43	Map
Rural value seeker	30	#509 of 578	#41 of 43	Map
High-net-worth mover	67	#50 of 578	#4 of 43	Map
Lottery winner	61	#71 of 578	#5 of 43	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	60	#468 of 578	#19 of 43	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	60	#119 of 578	#10 of 43	Map
Digital native	49	#67 of 233	#4 of 19	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)86
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)85
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)82
Flat land (terrain relief)80
Foundation78
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)75
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)74
Mobility and connectivity69
Lifestyle and amenities61
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)51
Jobs and economy44
Affordability43
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)29
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)11
Green space9
Education and family9
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

Stilfontein 36 km
Parys 41 km
Vredefort 42 km
Umzimhle 44 km
Klerksdorp 46 km
Fochville 47 km
Carletonville 49 km
Orkney 52 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.