---
title: "Living in Gqeberha as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gqeberha
description: "The friendly city on Algoa Bay, formerly Port Elizabeth"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Gqeberha, South Africa

Gqeberha scores 56.9/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 703 of 1000 cities. Expect about $1,450 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (Remote work visitor's visa), and a measured median download speed of 16.6 Mbps.

Gqeberha, renamed from Port Elizabeth in 2021, has wide swimming beaches, Addo Elephant National Park an hour away and some of the lowest living costs of any South African city. The economy depends on car plants, unemployment is high and the city has suffered water shortages and load-shedding.

Known for: Beaches on Algoa Bay, Addo Elephant Park, Low living costs, Water supply problems.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 56.9 |
| Cost of living | 46 |
| Safety | 26 |
| Healthcare | 50 |
| Internet | 55 |
| Visa ease | 72 |
| Getting there & around | 24 |
| Climate | 100 |
| Air quality | 79 |
| Quality of life | 61 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,450 | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 39.72 | country | 2024 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 58.9 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 74 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 61.5 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 16.6 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 8.4 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Coming soon (Service date is unknown at this time) | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | Remote work visitor's visa (min $3,241/mo) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Visa guide | [South Africa long-stay visa guide](https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/south-africa) | country | 2026-10-04 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | 90 days / 90 days / 90 days | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (PLZ) | 4 | city | 2026-07 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 35 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 12 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 14.4 | city | 2021 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.741 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | high | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 21.9 | 38 | 78 | yes |
| Feb | 22.2 | 33 | 79 | yes |
| Mar | 21.3 | 50 | 79 | yes |
| Apr | 19.6 | 38 | 77 | yes |
| May | 18.1 | 28 | 74 | yes |
| Jun | 16.3 | 23 | 70 | yes |
| Jul | 15.8 | 34 | 71 | yes |
| Aug | 16 | 45 | 73 | yes |
| Sep | 16.9 | 29 | 75 | yes |
| Oct | 18.1 | 43 | 77 | yes |
| Nov | 19.1 | 42 | 76 | yes |
| Dec | 20.7 | 33 | 78 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport | PLZ | 4 | 0 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 4, of which 0 international (Wikipedia, 2026-07).

## Similar cities

- [Durban](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/durban) (57.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/durban-vs-gqeberha)
- [Jeffreys Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jeffreys-bay) (55.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gqeberha-vs-jeffreys-bay)
- [Cape Town](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/cape-town) (60) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/cape-town-vs-gqeberha)
- [Knysna](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/knysna) (54.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gqeberha-vs-knysna)
- [Plettenberg Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/plettenberg-bay) (55.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gqeberha-vs-plettenberg-bay)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Gqeberha as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $1,450 per month in Gqeberha (a country-level estimate for South Africa). That is a 46/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Gqeberha safe for digital nomads?

Gqeberha scores 26/100 on safety. South Africa records 39.72 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 58.9/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does South Africa have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. South Africa offers the Remote work visitor's visa with a minimum income of about $3,241 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/south-africa

### How fast is the internet in Gqeberha?

Measured median download speed in Gqeberha was 16.6 Mbps (upload 8.4 Mbps) across 38,118 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Gqeberha?

Not yet. Starlink's availability map lists South Africa as coming soon (Service date is unknown at this time) as of 2026-10. Roaming plans may work for short stays, but local rules on using them vary.

### Which airports serve Gqeberha and how many nonstop flights are there?

Gqeberha is served by Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) with 4 nonstop destinations, of which 0 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-07.

### When is the best time of year to be in Gqeberha?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 60°F (16°C) in Jul to 72°F (22°C) in Feb (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Gqeberha or Durban: which is better for digital nomads?

Durban is the city with the closest factor profile to Gqeberha in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Hotels in South Africa](https://navoy.io/hotels/south-africa) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim (retrieved 2026-10-12)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/visas (retrieved 2026-10-04)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gqeberha