Clifton? Camps Bay? Tax data shows you’d earn more on Robben Island

The city of Cape Town boasts some of South Africa’s most luxurious and expensive properties and is home to some of the country’s highest-paid individuals. The city has long been a beacon for residents from South Africa’s inland provinces as well as a tourist hotspot for visitors from all over the globe.             

Grand sea-facing properties in suburbs of Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno, as well as some of the palatial homes in leafy areas such as Constantia, would suggest that Cape Town is one of the cities with the highest median incomes in South Africa. Cape Town, however, has the fifth-highest median income level in South Africa, according to the latest research.

RESEARCH INTO TAX DATA

A government study of tax data in Cape Town for the period 2013 to 2018 indicates that the area in Cape Town with the highest median income is not its plush Atlantic seaboard suburbs or Constantia and surrounds.  

Research released by National Treasury based on tax data for the period  2013 to 2018 has revealed the level of income and job opportunities at a sub-metro level, for the first time.                     

ROBBEN ISLAND COMES IN FIRST

It is likely to come as a surprise when learning that the area with the highest median income in Cape Town is in fact the small island located 6.9km off the coast of Cape Town.

According to Business Insider, the data shows that Robben Island has the highest median income compared to all areas in the city of Cape Town.  National Treasury states that this is likely to be due to the low number of overall jobs on Robben Island, as well as the higher earnings paid to employees in these jobs.

Robben Island once served as home to many of South Africa’s political detainees. The island is said to be inhabited by between 110 and 150 residents, according to data from the last census as well as other reports.   Business Insider reports that most of the island’s inhabitants are Robben Island Museum staff or former Correctional Services officials. 

OTHER AREAS IN CAPE TOWN

The report shows that median incomes across the Mother City have changed over time. Between 2013 and 2018 average incomes have increased in some parts of the city while dropping in others.

The City Bowl, Rondebosch and Claremont neighbourhoods, which are home to a number of relatively skilled and high earning individuals follow closely behind Robben Island.   

Residents of Durbanville, Blouberg and some parts of Rondebosch have also seen an increase in median earnings over the five-year period. However, the report shows significant decreases in incomes in areas, including Milnerton, the Atlantic Seaboard, Atlantis, and parts of the Cape Flats.

The areas with the city’s lowest median incomes are Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha.