Every year, thousands of internationals land in Cape Town, some for a two-year posting, some chasing the digital nomad lifestyle, some "semigrating" from elsewhere in South Africa or further afield, and a growing number of remote workers who simply picked the Mother City as their base. It's an easy city to fall in love with. It's a harder city to build a genuine social life in.
The expat scene in Cape Town
Cape Town's international community is real and sizeable: you'll find it clustered around the Atlantic Seaboard, in coworking spaces across the City Bowl, and each summer during Cape Town Nomad Week (17 to 26 February in 2027), when remote workers from around the world descend on the city for talks, workshops and beach days. There's no shortage of people in the same boat as you.
The honest gap is what happens after the first few weeks. WhatsApp groups and Facebook communities are useful for logistics (where to get a SIM card, which suburb is safest), but they rarely turn into the kind of recurring, in-person friendships that make a place feel like home. Two-year postings end and semigration waves come and go, so who's around changes from season to season. A common pattern is an easy first month, then a plateau where you keep meeting the same few people at the same rooftop bar.
Where expats meet in Cape Town
Sea Point & the Atlantic Seaboard
The promenade, the gyms, and the sundowner spots along Cape Town's most internationally dense stretch of coastline: home to a huge share of the city's short- and long-term expats. Our guide to living in Sea Point goes into more detail.
City Bowl & De Waterkant
Coworking spaces, coffee shops and rooftop bars packed with remote workers and founders, especially in the streets around Bree and Loop.
Southern Suburbs
Newlands and Claremont draw a quieter, often family-oriented international crowd, closer to the mountain, good schools, and a slower pace than the city centre. For more, see our guides to living in the Southern Suburbs and international schools in Cape Town.
Woodstock & the markets
Neighbourhood food and design markets on weekends are one of the easiest low-pressure ways to bump into other newcomers exploring the city.
The hiking & outdoors scene
Table Mountain, Lion's Head sunrise hikes and the trail-running community are a natural, ready-made way expats meet each other outside a bar.
Winelands day trips
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are a favourite weekend escape, and often where visiting friends, colleagues and new acquaintances end up spending a full day together.
Looking for ideas for your first weekends? Our blog covers things to do in Cape Town for expats.
Still sorting out the practical side of the move, such as a visa, somewhere to rent, movers or schools? You can ask for a personal introduction, and Rory replies with one named person rather than a list.
Places we point new arrivals to
These are public places worth knowing in your first few weeks in Cape Town. Hours and fees change, so follow the link before you set out. We'll add to the list as the Club grows.
The Company's Garden
A public garden at the top of Adderley Street, next to Parliament, and a good first walk for getting your bearings in town. Opening times are on the City's page for the garden.
MyCiTi
The City's own bus service. You need a myconnect card to ride and the buses don't reach every suburb, so look up your route on the MyCiTi site before you rely on them.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
A national botanical garden on the eastern side of Table Mountain, open every day, and an easy first day outdoors. There's an entry fee and the garden no longer takes cash, so start at SANBI's Kirstenbosch page.
Green Point Park
A City park with play areas, picnic spots and walking paths, which helps if you've arrived with children or a dog. Entry is free, dogs are welcome on leads, and the City's page for the park has the opening times.
Central Public Library
In the Old Drill Hall on the corner of Parade and Darling streets, with computers and internet access. Joining is free if you live in Cape Town, and the City's page for the library has the hours.
Civic Centre Vehicle Registration Centre
One of the City's offices for registering and licensing a car, on Hertzog Boulevard. If you're a foreign national buying one, you may first need a traffic register number. Hours are on the City's page for the office.
What The Expat Club will bring to Cape Town
We're building four simple event formats, each meant to give you a reason to see the same faces again. A Newcomers' Welcome for people in their first weeks in the city, a reliable Monthly Social at the sort of Atlantic Seaboard or City Bowl venue you'd choose yourself, smaller Interest Groups built around hiking, padel, wine and coworking, and occasional Signature Experiences (think a winelands day or a sunset outing) for the trips you'd never quite get around to booking alone.
Cape Town is our first city, with our first meeting planned for January 2027, ahead of Johannesburg and Durban. Joining the list now means founding-member access and the first invitation when we open our doors.
Be there for the Cape Town launch
Join the list for founding-member access and your invitation to our first events.
Join the listFrequently asked questions
How do I meet other expats in Cape Town?
Cape Town has a large international and remote-worker community, especially around the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl, but most of it lives online in WhatsApp and Facebook groups or shows up at coworking spaces and one-off nomad meetups. Building a real, ongoing social circle usually takes structured, repeat events rather than one-off nights out. The Expat Club is built for exactly this: regular, well-run in-person gatherings where you meet the same people again.
Are there expat groups in Cape Town?
Yes, there are various online expat and digital nomad groups, plus Cape Town Nomad Week each summer (17 to 26 February in 2027), which draws remote workers from around the world. Many of these are loose or online-only, and it can be hard to turn a group chat into real friendships. The Expat Club aims to fill that gap with consistent, in-person events.
When does The Expat Club launch in Cape Town?
The Expat Club launches in Cape Town in January 2027, our first city. Johannesburg and Durban chapters will follow. Join the email list to get founding-member access and first invitations to our launch events.
How much does The Expat Club cost?
The Expat Club will offer a free membership tier plus paid membership with discounted entry to events and priority pricing on signature experiences. Founding membership is R99/month or R990/year (rising to R149/month and R1,430/year at launch), so joining the list now locks in the founding rate.
Where do expats in Cape Town actually live?
Most internationals settle on the Atlantic Seaboard, in the City Bowl or in the Southern Suburbs, with families increasingly choosing the Southern Suburbs for schools. Our sister site compares them suburb by suburb in the guide to the best areas to live in Cape Town.
What does it cost to live in Cape Town as an expat?
Comfortable is very possible on a foreign salary, but rents have been climbing, with PayProp's rental index putting Western Cape rents up 9.7% year on year in the second quarter of 2026. The honest numbers are in our cost of living in Cape Town guide, updated for 2026.