THE ULTIMATE DIGITAL NOMAD GUIDE CAPE TOWN 2020 CAPE TOWN - NEW DIGITAL NOMAD HOTSPOT Cape Town has become an attractive destination for digital nomads, looking to venture to an African city and explore the local cultures and diverse wildlife. Cape Town has also become known as Africa’s largest tech hub and is bustling with young startups and small businesses. Cape Town is definitely South Africa’s trendiest city with hipster bars and restaurants along Bree street, exclusive beach strips with five star cuisine and rolling vineyards and wine farms. But is Cape Town a good city for digital nomads. We will dive into this and look at accommodation, co-working spaces, internet connectivity,safety and more. Let's jump into a guide to living and working as a digital nomad in Cape Town, written by digital nomads, from Cape Town. VISA There are 48 countries that do not need a visa to enter South Africa and are abe to stay in SA as a visitor for 90 days. See whether your country makes this list here. The next group of countries are allowed in for 30 days visa-free. Check here to see if your country is on this list. If your country does not fall within these two categories, you will need to apply for a visa. If you can enter on a 90 day visa you can extend it for another 90 days allowing you to stay in South Africa for a total of 6 months. You will need to do this 60 days prior to your visa end date. You can follow these steps to extend your South African tourist visa. SIM CARDS You can get a SIM card from pretty much any grocery store or cellphone store. They are very cheap, around $0.35. You can then top them up with data at a grocery store ie. Woolworths, Checkers, SPAR etc. We would suggest selecting an MTN SIM card as this is slightly cheaper than Vodacom. Coverage will be the same and is good all around South Africa, except in isolated regions. Depending on your length of stay you could opt for 1GB for 2 weeks or 4 weeks. 2 weeks is slightly cheaper for the same amount of data. This will cost between $7-$10 COST OF LIVING Rental and accommodation prices in Cape Town are quite high due to the demand in the area. Areas around the CBD and Atlantic seaboard are considered some of the nicest areas in the whole country so it can be a bit pricey. Eating out, alcohol and entertainment are cheaper than that of 1st world countries and groceries are about on par. Here are some examples in USD: You can view the whole list here. WHERE TO STAY? It’s very important to choose the right area to stay when in Cape Town. Crime is a real concern in South Africa and safety is largely dependant on the area you live in. The best areas to stay in Cape Town that are considered relatively safe and are convenient are: - Camps Bay - De Waterkant - Bantry Bay - Kloof street - Fresnaye - Bree St (CBD) - Sea Point - Tamboerskloof - Green Point - Oranjezicht - Mouille Point - Vredehoek Below we have posted some local amenities and trendy spots you may want to check out when in Cape Town. Grocery Stores Bars Pick 'n Pay Tigers Milk Woolworths The Dark Horse SPAR The Village Idiot Checkers Chinchilla Restaurants Beaches Jerrys Burger Bar Camps Bay Beach Sevruga Glen Beach Karibu Clifton Plant Bakoven Beach ACCOMMODATION HOSTELS There are 57 hostels in Cape Town that vary in price and quality. The prices range from $10-$50 per night. The general vibe is no different to hostels all over the world, with a focus on social activities and partying. Not always recommended for digital nomads due to limited workspace, noisy environments and shared rooms. If you are looking to party though, this is for you! Some hostel recommendations: - The Backpack - Once in Cape Town - Atlantic Point Backpackers Prices range from $15 - $80 per night COLIVING When you're serious about being productive, staying in a hostel becomes less of an attractive option, and having your own room a priority. Coliving allows for a convenient way to find the balance between privacy and affordability. Retreats normally include accommodation, coworking space access, netwrking and social activities and more. Check out the Work Wanderers coliving coworking retreat in Cape Town where you can join for 3 weeks. View here. Prices range from $40-$80 per night. ACCOMMODATION LONG TERM RENTAL Most nomads will be able to stay in South Africa visa-free for 90 days. It can be difficult to find 3-month accommodation as most rental leases are for a minimum of 12 months. You can try Gumtree to find shared living accommodation, however finding a private apartment for this type of period will be difficult and quite expensive per month. The best bet would be to fin an Airbnb but they can be pretty pricey i the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl areas. Prices range from $55 - $110 per night (1 bedroom apartment) HOTELS There are a myriad of hotels from low budget to 6-star and thus vary in price and quality. Be sure to look at the reviews and the area of the hotel before booking. Prices vary from $50-$500 per night. SAFETY GUIDELINES Crime in Cape Town is largely related to the area you are in, however it is important to remain vigilant and be aware of those who may be opportunistic. Below is a map of Cape Town. This is just a representation - our suggestion is to avoid red areas as crime is more prevelant there. Orange areas are fine but have slightly higher crime rates than green areas Generally tourists are unaffecte by crime but this map may be useful when booking accommodation. Low Risk Moderate Risk High Risk GETTING AROUND There are various ways to get around the city and Camps Bay. MyCITI Bus The MyCITI bus system is a safe and affordable way of getting around Cape Town. You need a myconnect card to travel on the MyCiTi service as cash is not accepted on board. You can buy a myconnect card for R35 ($2.50) from a MyCiTi station kiosk. Simply tap in when you start your journey and tap out when you leave, and enjoy the ride. You can load Mover points on it and top up when needed or you can by 1,3,7 day passes which are a more affordable option. It will cost R85 ($6) from airport to city centre, which is the most affordable transport option. Uber Ubers are a fast, reliable and relatively affordable means of transport. Simply request the Uber and you should get picked up very soon after. This is the most affordable form of door-to-door transport and is safe. Airpot to city centre will usually cost around R180-R220 ($13-$16) Minibus Taxis It is recommended not to utilise this form of transport. There are hundreds of these taxis all over the city and the rates are extremely low, however the vehicles are jam-packed, relatively unsafe and often-times not roadworthy. Private Taxis It is recommended to rather use Uber as it is safer and more affordable than private taxis. Private taxis that are safe include Excite Taxis and Unicab. You can try negotiate a fee with them before getting in the cab but oftentimes they will just go by the meter. Airport pickup with a private ab will be around R350 ($25) STAYING PRODUCTIVE Co-working spaces have become very popular in this city and 31 spaces have popped up in the last few years. These spaces boast fibre-optic high speed internet and a productive environment to get your work done. With free coffee at some of the top spaces and lots of cafes around them, convenience is not an issue and all of them are located in the CBD or Atlantic Seaboard. Some of our recommendations include: - Workshop 17: This is quite a busy co-working space and is colourful and fun. A little bit out of the way if you are taking the bus but on the other hand, it's super convenient being at the Waterfront - close to many shops and cafes. Price: R3300 pm ($232) - Seedspace: You feel quite at home when entering Seedspace - set in a triple storry house like building in the city centre. There are lots of nomad events here and a freidnly environment. Price: R2000 ($140) - Green Point Coworking: This light and bright coworking space allows for a productive environment to get work done, has Skype booths and is conveniently located Price: R2600 pm ($180) INTERNET Fibre-Optic internet started getting rolled out in Cape Town 5 years ago. It is now widely used in the more affluent area of the Cape (areas mentioned above). Fibre-optic internet is far superior to ADSL and can reach up to 200 mbps, depending on the plan purchased. Most Airbnbs have made it a priority to install fibre and all co-working spaces use this reliable internet source. A study completed in 2018, showed that the average speed in the areas Camps Bay, Green Point & Sea Point was 28.51 mbps on download. Be sure to ask your accommodation provider for a speed test to ensure you are able to be productive. All co-working spaces would have opted for fibre and strive to provide high internet performanceYou can also purchase mobile data, however this can be quite expensive, at $12 for 1 GB.