Cape Town for Digital Nomads: A No-Nonsense Guide

Cape Town works well for digital nomads who plan around load-shedding, choose a safe neighborhood like Green Point or Sea Point, and budget roughly $1,500–$2,500/month. We tested all of this ourselves during a remote-work stint, escaping the Berlin bleakness for Cape Town's summer in South Africa.

Things went smoothly for us, thanks largely to advice from a few kind-hearted South African friends who wanted us to have the time of our lives in their city.

So let's cut to the chase: this is the no-nonsense, no-BS guide to maximizing your digital nomad experience in Cape Town, before you even land. It's based solely on our own experience, so it skips plenty of other great spots — feel free to weave in your own adventures too 😘.

FAQs: Being a Digital Nomad in Cape Town

Quick answers on safety, cost, Wi-Fi, and visas for anyone considering remote work from Cape Town... then jump into the full guide below for the details behind each one.

Before You Go: Digital Nomad Essentials & Best Areas to Stay in Cape Town

Before landing in Cape Town, sort out five essentials: load-shedding and safety awareness, housing in Green Point or Sea Point, a rental car (if skipping Uber), a portable charger, and the Uber/ESP apps. Each is covered below.

1) Get well-versed on safety in Cape Town and load-shedding

Load-shedding is South Africa's scheduled rolling blackout system, cutting electricity to different districts for roughly 2.5 hours at a time to manage the country's ongoing energy crisis. (If you have a similarly dirty mind like us 💦, no, it's not what it sounds like.)

It affects rich and poor South Africans alike, and as a digital nomad, you'll feel the pains and inconveniences too. We break down exactly how to work around it below... just know going in that it does exist.

Cape Town is generally safe for digital nomads, but petty crime is a real risk, and the best advice we got was simply to "be vigilant." Cape Town's crime rate runs a bit higher than some other digital nomad hotspots, driven by economic disparity and noticeable racial segregation.

Keep this in mind while planning and once you land. Don't let it stop you from coming to this magnificent city, but do stay vigilant (mom rant over).

2) Use AirBnb or Vrbo to find accommodations in Green Point or Sea Point

Why Green Point & Sea Point?

Green Point and Sea Point are the two best areas for digital nomads in Cape Town... safer than the Central Business District (CBD), with a more relaxed vibe, hipster cafés, a gym, parks, and easy access to the sea.

Our friend Tilden steered us here after we first sent him cheaper AirBnb options in the CBD, which he swiftly rejected. We took his advice, paid a bit more for a place in Green Point, and have zero regrets.

Green Point

Green Point puts you near hipster restaurants and cafés, a gym, and parks, plus Signal Hill right behind you (which connects to a hike up Lion's Head) and plenty of seaside.

Sea Point

Sea Point offers a similar experience, though it feels a bit more commercial.

Booking platforms

AirBnb

AirBnb is handy for short- and long-term stays and often supports monthly discounts and direct messaging to hosts.

Vrbo

Vrbo is another great site for longer-term rentals.

Booking tips

Look for the monthly rate

Try to look for the monthly rate as there is often a steep cut in costs. Also, did you know on AirBnb, you can try to negotiate the price down? Feel free to counter-offer whatever the rate is, and what is the worst that can happen?

Ask about internet and load-shedding

Ask your landlord about the internet situation during load-shedding. They will likely not be able to ensure that you will have electricity during these load-shedding periods, but our landlord made sure we had Wi-Fi that ran on an inverter, so we were never without Wi-Fi while working.

Alternatives to AirBnb/Vrbo

Co-living / co-working

If you are looking for a co-working, co-living situation, look no further than Neighbourgood.

Hostels and social stays

If you are cool with hostel vibes for a little while, especially if you are solo traveling, email The Little Lemon Tree or book the Sunflower Stop (we stayed here at the end of our trip and it was a great way for us to meet some other travelers... albeit a bit of a younger crowd than we are used to)

3) Pre-book a car if you don't plan to Uber

If Uber isn't for you, book a rental car in advance... long-term deals are easy to find, and pickup/drop-off at Cape Town International Airport is simple.

When we drove the Garden Route on a road trip before settling in Cape Town, we used Discover Cars and picked up and dropped off the car right at the airport.

Just beware that they drive on the left side of the road 😘, which for me was my very first time.

4) Get yourself a portable charger

A portable charger is essential gear for digital nomads in Cape Town, since daily load-shedding will otherwise leave you scrambling mid-workday. Grab one even if it's the only thing you pack.

We have relatively new computers and still had close calls, switching to a phone for a meeting when the power cut out. Save yourself the stress and grab a portable laptop charger.

5) Download a few must-have apps: Uber and ESP

Uber and EskomSePush (ESP) are the two must-have apps for digital nomads in Cape Town... Uber for affordable, safer transport, and ESP for tracking load-shedding schedules.

Uber is cheap, public transport isn't reliable or widespread, and it just feels safer than walking in a lot of areas. You may also snag a free one-month trial of Uber Pass, which lowers your per-trip cost (I usually tip the difference back to the driver).

ESP is the app that makes load-shedding manageable: enter your area and it shows the outage schedule for today and tomorrow. Turn on push notifications for a 15- and/or 55-minute warning before a cut — enough time to grab a charger or find backup internet.

Living & Working in Cape Town: How to Make the Most of Your Time & Budget

Once you land, settling in means sorting your SIM card, groceries, gym, and workspace routine... here's how to handle each one, plus the best sunset spots for after work.

You've likely just flown a minimum of 12 hours from Europe (or 24 from the U.S.), so take a beat before diving in.

Here is a handy-dandy map of our favorite places that we will mention below:

6) Pick up a SIM card at the airport or get an eSIM

Vodacom is the easiest SIM card option right after baggage claim at Cape Town International Airport, and it's been reliable both inside and outside the city for us. At the time of writing, R199 (a little over €10) got 20GB lasting 30 days, and we had the new SIM working in about 3 minutes.

An eSIM is the alternative if you'd rather skip the counter. We've used Trip.com eSIMs all over the world... the cheapest eSIM option we've found and always reliable. It's pricier for a long-term stay than a local SIM, but we prefer the convenience over a store trip.

7) Shop at KWIKSpar to save, shop at Woolworths to SPLURGE

KWIKSpar and Shoprite are the most affordable grocery stores near Green Point and Sea Point, while Woolworths is pricier but higher quality — save it for an occasional splurge.

On our first Woolworths run, we threw a bunch of barbecue items into two baskets, thinking South African prices would keep it cheap. The register said otherwise: about €100, including a €12 tin of decidedly unspecial nuts.

KWIKSpar, right in our neighborhood, turned out to be the much cheaper alternative — same solid quality, no register-shock.

8) Join Virgin Active Gym

Virgin Active costs about €100/month and gets you a gym, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness classes, and a café/coworking space all in one Green Point or Sea Point location... one of the best all-in-one setups for digital nomads in the city.

That price felt steep at first, but it's honestly been one of the highlights of our time in Cape Town. Not to be completely vain, but there's so much eye candy it's actually motivating.

We go in the mornings, when it's admittedly more crowded than we'd like, but it's a must if you're the type of nomad who needs a fitness routine to function.

9) Find some cozy work spaces

Cape Town's best cafés and coworking spots for digital nomads include Park Cafe, Nourish'ed, Bootlegger Coffee, and Ideas Cartel... with Ideas Cartel the only one immune to load-shedding.

Once you've had some vacation days and want cozy places to actually get work done, Cape Town delivers, whatever your style. Just beware that most spots will still lose power during load-shedding, so keep that laptop charged or your portable charger handy.

If you're a café-camper, Cape Town won't rush you out for nursing one coffee over several hours.

Here are some of our favs around the Green Point area:

• Park Café: Adorable, airy, colonial-style place in the heart of Green Point where they will be playing throwback tunes and serving up cheap eats (try the vegetable pesto sandwich and their bottled kombucha). They have a nice shaded outdoor area to the side where you can get some shit done.
• Nourish'ed: The café at the same location as the aforementioned Neighbourgood, this place is a digital nomad haven and albeit a little slow on the service, has nice vibes and good Wi-Fi.
• Bootlegger coffee: There are a few of these around the area and in general is a nice, spacious coffee shop with reliable internet and tasty food.
• (Believe it or not) Virgin Active: Nü Cafe: Another shout-out to Virgin Active. While the internet isn't great, it is a nice place to get some admin things done after you have a workout, without having to go very far. I will generally just use my hotspot there and have a coffee or healthy shake in the interim.
• Cushty Neighbourhood Deli: A bakery with delish fresh salads and a few nice working stations if you can snag them.

If you prefer co-working:

• Ideas Cartel: A bit of a walk away from the area we suggested staying in, but is in a beautiful industrial building, and they are immune to load-shedding!

10) Start work early, end work early

Start and end your workday early in Cape Town to take advantage of daylight — locals thrive on sunlight hours, and wrapping up a bit earlier leaves you a few hours before sundown for hikes and sunset drinks.

Take advantage of the nature in the late afternoon hours and do one of these if you are feeling adventurous:

• A sunset, lion's head hike
• Take a gondola up Table Top Mountain

Or, go relax at one of these favorite places to watch the sunset:

• La Perla: Damn good bottles of wine and fried calamari
• Rockpool: An awesome little outdoor place overlooking the sea with dangerous Coronaritas (coronas inserted in margaritas) and decent food
• Cause and Effect: Camps Bay: While there is a street between you and the beach, it is a banging place for an end of the day cocktails and a seafood platter
• Blondie: Whoa whoa whoa, this is in the CBD, but it gives us such summer vibes and has extremely creative cocktails and tapas. No sea-side view here, but just a fab atmosphere.

So there you have it! Obviously this post is more just covering Green Point and Sea Point, but if you loosely follow these steps, your digital nomad experience in Cape Town will conquer all other digital nomad experiences.