Living in Bloemfontein, South Africa
Bloemfontein is a mid-sized inland city in Free State, South Africa (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 17°C over the year with about 491 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,350 a month to live centrally, and South Africa sits in our high tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in South Africa is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $2,271 a month in income.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Est. cost
- €2,350
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 17°C
- 491 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 30/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~50 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
Safety and stability
South Africa scores 30 out of 100 on safety, safer than 0% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in South Africa. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in South Africa runs at about 50 Mbps, faster than 12% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Healthcare
South Africa scores 55 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in South Africa.
Climate
Bloemfontein averages 17°C across the year with about 491 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 36% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,350 a month to live centrally in Bloemfontein, 14% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 76% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Taxes
South Africa sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Bloemfontein in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the Retired Person's Visa (guaranteed pension/annuity income), the Critical Skills Visa (no capital, for in-demand occupations), the Financially Independent Permit (net-worth-based PR), or the Business Visa (capital invested in a local business), though Home Affairs processing is slow and a pending White Paper may tighten thresholds.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for South Africa:
- Income: about $2,271 a month (South Africa Retired Person's Visa, ZAR 37,000/mo guaranteed pension/annuity income, single applicant (USD/ZAR 16.29, Wise mid-market 2026-06-03); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $307k (South Africa Business Visa, ZAR 5,000,000 one-time capital invested in a business; cheaper than the ZAR 12m Financially Independent Permit net-worth route (USD/ZAR 16.29, Wise mid-market 2026-06-03); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 86 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 32 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 80 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 65 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Questions couples ask about Bloemfontein
Is Bloemfontein a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Bloemfontein scores well on affordability. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and internet speed. Expect a mild, dry climate (17°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Bloemfontein and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Bloemfontein?
We estimate about €2,350 a month for a couple living centrally, 14% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Bloemfontein?
South Africa is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Bloemfontein in their results.
Can foreigners live in South Africa long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the Retired Person's Visa (guaranteed pension/annuity income), the Critical Skills Visa (no capital, for in-demand occupations), the Financially Independent Permit (net-worth-based PR), or the Business Visa (capital invested in a local business), though Home Affairs processing is slow and a pending White Paper may tighten thresholds. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $2,271 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $307k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Bloemfontein?
Bloemfontein averages 17°C across the year with about 491 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 36% of the cities we track.
Compare Bloemfontein with
Cities like Bloemfontein
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Bloemfontein
Moving to South Africa as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.