Coastal townsSouth Africa2026
South Africa Coastal Towns
Overstrand, KwaDukuza and Saldanha Bay were the most booked of the 27 coastal towns in South Africa on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 38,667, 22,458 and 21,409 stays. December is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 4.9 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 20 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 20
- Overstrand 38,667 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 20
- Hout Bay R 398,321 a year
- Highest rated of these 20
- Noordhoek 4.90 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 20
- Durban North R 1,673 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 20
- Noordhoek 7.9 nights
Ranking
South Africa Coastal Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the coastal and beach towns in South Africa with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Overstrand, Western Cape. Includes Hermanus, Kleinmond and Gansbaai. | 38,667 | R 3,428 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal. Includes Sheffield Beach and Tinley Manor. | 22,458 | R 3,611 |
| 3 | Saldanha Bay, Western Cape. Includes Paternoster. | 21,409 | R 2,915 |
| 4 | Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal | 13,097 | R 2,716 |
| 5 | Kouga, Eastern Cape. Includes St Francis Bay. | 11,093 | R 2,981 |
| 6 | Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal. Includes Port Shepstone. | 9,735 | R 2,103 |
| 7 | Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal | 7,861 | R 3,346 |
| 8 | Milnerton, Western Cape | 7,160 | R 2,335 |
| 9 | Hout Bay, Western Cape | 6,863 | R 3,958 |
| 10 | Umdloti, KwaZulu-Natal | 6,494 | R 2,501 |
| 11 | Simon's Town, Western Cape | 5,160 | R 2,782 |
| 12 | Cape Agulhas, Western Cape. Includes Struisbaai and L'Agulhas. | 4,889 | R 2,484 |
| 13 | Ndlambe, Eastern Cape. Includes Port Alfred and Kenton-on-Sea. | 4,485 | R 2,352 |
| 14 | Durban North, KwaZulu-Natal | 4,383 | R 1,673 |
| 15 | Strand, Western Cape | 3,883 | R 1,838 |
| 16 | Langebaan, Western Cape | 3,879 | R 2,849 |
| 17 | Knysna, Western Cape | 3,573 | R 2,948 |
| 18 | Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape | 3,325 | R 3,693 |
| 19 | Fish Hoek, Western Cape | 3,218 | R 2,252 |
| 20 | Noordhoek, Western Cape | 2,691 | R 4,406 |
| 21 | Mossel Bay, Western Cape | 2,505 | R 2,219 |
| 22 | Bergrivier, Western Cape. Includes Velddrif and Dwarskersbos. | 2,044 | R 2,766 |
| 23 | UMdoni, KwaZulu-Natal. Includes Scottburgh and Pennington. | 2,004 | R 2,418 |
| 24 | Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape | 1,883 | R 2,269 |
| 25 | Margate, KwaZulu-Natal | 1,648 | R 1,739 |
| 26 | Great Kei, Eastern Cape. Includes Morgan Bay, Kei Mouth and Chintsa. | 1,630 | R 2,236 |
| 27 | Kingsburgh, KwaZulu-Natal | 1,606 | R 1,474 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so Overstrand and rows like it cover several towns.
Money figures on this page are in South African rand, converted from US dollars at R 16.6 per US$, the typical rate from November 2025 to October 2026.
By region
Stays and Top Town by Region
| Region | Stays | Top town |
|---|---|---|
| Western Cape | 109,266 | Overstrand |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 69,286 | KwaDukuza |
| Eastern Cape | 19,091 | Kouga |
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
7 of 8 are busiest in December. Milnerton peaks in February. Among guests who left a review, Cape Town is the top home city in 4 of the 8. Apartments and condos are the largest home type in 5 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Overstrand, Western Cape
Of the 20 coastal towns in South Africa with 200 or more homes, Overstrand (Western Cape) had the most Airbnb homes, at 1,897, in the 12 months to October 2026. Houses were the largest home type in Overstrand, at 60% of homes.
- KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Johannesburg was the top home city for KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, at 16%.
- Saldanha Bay, Western Cape
In the 12 months to October 2026, houses were the largest home type in Saldanha Bay, Western Cape, at 55% of homes.
- 4Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Johannesburg was the top home city for Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal, at 15%.
- 5Kouga, Eastern Cape
In the 12 months to October 2026, houses were the largest home type in Kouga, Eastern Cape, at 49% of homes.
- 6Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Johannesburg was the top home city for Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, at 12%.
- 7Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Johannesburg was the top home city for Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, at 16%.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
December, March and January rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the coastal towns in South Africa, and June and May as the quietest. December is the busiest month in 23 of the 27, while Milnerton peaks in February, Hout Bay in March, and Fish Hoek in January. Across the 27 towns, nightly rates run lowest in October, at about R 2,799, and highest in December, at about R 3,213. Across the 27 towns, stays run longest in December, at 6.7 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.5 nights.
December ranks first, May last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December | 6.7 nights | R 3,213 |
| 2 | March | 4.5 nights | R 2,965 |
| 3 | January | 5.4 nights | R 3,114 |
| 4 | February | 5.2 nights | R 2,948 |
| 5 | April | 4.1 nights | R 2,965 |
| 6 | November | 4.6 nights | R 2,849 |
| 7 | October | 4.1 nights | R 2,799 |
| 8 | July | 5.0 nights | R 2,948 |
| 9 | September | 3.5 nights | R 2,981 |
| 10 | August | 3.8 nights | R 2,915 |
| 11 | June | 4.5 nights | R 2,915 |
| 12 | May | 4.2 nights | R 2,865 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 60% come from within South Africa. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The top home cities among those guests are Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Hout Bay (Western Cape) draws the most from abroad, at 79%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
60% from within South Africa
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 20 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Hout Bay has the highest estimated revenue per home, at R 398,321 a year. Of those 20, Hout Bay has the highest occupancy, at 43%, and Durban North has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at R 1,673. The most booked of the 27, Overstrand, earns about R 306,583 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 20
A year, AirROI estimate
- Hout Bay R 398,321
Western Cape
- Noordhoek R 361,669
Western Cape
- Simon's Town R 316,156
Western Cape
- Overstrand R 306,583
Western Cape
- KwaDukuza R 290,633
KwaZulu-Natal
Highest occupancy of these 20
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Hout Bay 43%
Western Cape
- Simon's Town 41%
Western Cape
- Noordhoek 41%
Western Cape
- Milnerton 38%
Western Cape
- Strand 37%
Western Cape
Lowest nightly rate of these 20
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Durban North R 1,673
KwaZulu-Natal
- Strand R 1,838
Western Cape
- Hibiscus Coast R 2,103
KwaZulu-Natal
- Mossel Bay R 2,219
Western Cape
- Milnerton R 2,335
Western Cape
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular coastal town in South Africa?
By AirROI's estimates, Overstrand (Western Cape) is the most booked of the 27 coastal towns in South Africa, with 38,667 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. KwaDukuza is second, with 22,458. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable coastal town in South Africa?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in South Africa with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Durban North (KwaZulu-Natal) (R 1,673), Strand (Western Cape) (R 1,838) and Hibiscus Coast (KwaZulu-Natal) (R 2,103). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small coastal towns in South Africa?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 27 coastal towns it lists in South Africa are Kingsburgh (KwaZulu-Natal) (120), Bergrivier (Western Cape) (121) and Margate (KwaZulu-Natal) (124). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What coastal towns in South Africa offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in South Africa with 200 or more homes, the highest are Hout Bay (Western Cape) (R 398,321), Noordhoek (Western Cape) (R 361,669) and Simon's Town (Western Cape) (R 316,156). Among the same towns, Hout Bay (Western Cape) has the highest occupancy, at 43%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 438,587 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.