Port Elizabeth vs Howick: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?

Port Elizabeth is a genuinely affordable coastal pick, with a 1-bedroom in the center at $602/mo and a comfortable single lifestyle running $3,200/mo, all against a cost of living index of 48/100. The catch is income: the average monthly net salary of $1,599/mo makes the budget tier at $1,050/mo the realistic landing spot for most locals, not the comfortable one. A safety index of 51/100 and a crime index of 49/100 mean you should choose your neighborhood deliberately, with Humewood and Summerstrand the established expat choices. Retirees on the South Africa Retired Person Visa need $2,050/mo and digital nomads need $2,950/mo, so bring foreign income rather than a local paycheck.

Howick is a cheap place to live, with a 3-bedroom city center apartment at $293/mo and utilities at $147/mo, but the average net salary of $1,170/mo leaves little room for the $2,050/mo income required by the South Africa Retired Person Visa. The retiree score of 65/100 beats the digital nomad score of 56/100, and the crime index of 40 and air quality index of 35 are genuinely decent for a town of 22 thousand at 1072 m. Limited English proficiency and fair healthcare are real drawbacks, and the $2,950/mo needed for the South Africa Digital Nomad Visa prices out most remote workers. Come for retirement on a local budget, not for a nomad career.