---
title: "Living in Jeffreys Bay as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/jeffreys-bay
description: "South Africa's surf capital at Supertubes, cheap and laid-back"
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

Jeffreys Bay scores 55.8/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 746 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 7.6 Mbps.

Jeffreys Bay is the surfing town behind Supertubes, one of the world's best right-hand point breaks, with a World Surf League event each July, factory outlets for the surf brands and some of the cheapest beachfront living in South Africa. It is about 75 km from Gqeberha's airport, the vibe is small-town and seasonal, and you need a car and fibre-ready accommodation to work well.

Known for: Supertubes right-hand point break, Surf-brand factory outlets, Cheap seaside living, Gqeberha airport about 75 km away.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 55.8 |
| Cost of living | 46 |
| Safety | 26 |
| Healthcare | 50 |
| Internet | 39 |
| Visa ease | 72 |
| Getting there & around | 24 |
| Climate | 92 |
| Air quality | 94 |
| 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) | 7.6 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 2.6 | 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) | 18 | city | 2026-10 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 3 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 11 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7.8 | city | 2023 | [^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 | 21.5 | 42 | 75 | yes |
| Feb | 21.7 | 43 | 76 | yes |
| Mar | 20.7 | 57 | 76 | yes |
| Apr | 18.7 | 44 | 75 | yes |
| May | 17.2 | 30 | 72 | yes |
| Jun | 15.1 | 28 | 70 | yes |
| Jul | 14.7 | 37 | 69 | no |
| Aug | 15 | 46 | 72 | yes |
| Sep | 16.1 | 30 | 73 | yes |
| Oct | 17.4 | 47 | 74 | yes |
| Nov | 18.6 | 49 | 74 | yes |
| Dec | 20.3 | 39 | 75 | 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

- [Gqeberha](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gqeberha) (56.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gqeberha-vs-jeffreys-bay)
- [Knysna](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/knysna) (54.7) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/jeffreys-bay-vs-knysna)
- [Durban](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/durban) (57.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/durban-vs-jeffreys-bay)
- [Plettenberg Bay](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/plettenberg-bay) (55.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/jeffreys-bay-vs-plettenberg-bay)
- [Watamu](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/watamu) (56.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/jeffreys-bay-vs-watamu)

## FAQ

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

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

### Is Jeffreys Bay safe for digital nomads?

Jeffreys Bay 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 Jeffreys Bay?

Measured median download speed in Jeffreys Bay was 7.6 Mbps (upload 2.6 Mbps) across 1,915 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 Jeffreys Bay?

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 Jeffreys Bay and how many nonstop flights are there?

Jeffreys Bay 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 Jeffreys Bay?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 58°F (15°C) in Jul to 71°F (22°C) in Feb (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Jeffreys Bay or Gqeberha: which is better for digital nomads?

Gqeberha is the city with the closest factor profile to Jeffreys Bay 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

[Where to stay in Jeffreys Bay](https://navoy.io/hotels/south-africa/jeffreys-bay) 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]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^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/jeffreys-bay