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Neighbourhoods › KwaZulu-Natal › Ballito
58
/ 100

Ballito

Moderate

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Residential 20,000–50,000
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Mixed fit Based on 7 scored dimensions
Best reasons
100
Affordability
87
Lifestyle
70
Property confidence
Trade-offs
18
Transport
31
Safety — 2,233 reported incidents in the latest period
Is Ballito right for you?

Ballito stands out for affordable homes and shops and services close by, with the trade-off of higher crime and limited public transport.

What is good here

  • Homes cost less than in most areas, compared with local incomes.
  • Shops, healthcare and everyday services are close by.
  • There are lots of places to eat, parks and things to do.
  • Property prices have held up better than in most areas.

Things to weigh up

  • Crime is higher than in most areas, so read the safety section before deciding.
  • Public transport is limited, so you will probably need a car.

Who it suits

  • Families with children Could work

    Shops and services close by, but higher crime.

  • Young professionals and renters Could work

    Shops and services close by and plenty to do, but limited public transport.

  • Retirees and a quieter life Could work

    Shops and services close by, but higher crime.

  • Living without a car Could work

    Shops and services close by, but limited public transport.

  • Buying on a budget Suits well

    Affordable homes and steady property prices.

Compared with nearby areas

In Durban In South Africa
Safety Among the lowest Among the lowest
Affordability Among the best Among the best
Schools Among the lowest About average
Transport Among the lowest Among the lowest
Amenities Among the best Among the best
Lifestyle Among the best Among the best
Property Confidence About average Better than most
What's happening
Local & city news, notices and alerts
Durban commuters have to relieve themselves in buckets in a tent Ebnewsdaily
In Durban, commuters relieve themselves in buckets inside the tent on the left. Photo: Tsoanelo Sefoloko In January, GroundUp reported that the toilets at the bus and taxi ranks in KwaMashu and in central Durban near the city hall had been closed for renovations for seven months. At the time, eThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana […]
1 day ago Read article
Matlala demands investigator’s notes be struck from record Daily Maverick
Organised crime-accused Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s appearance before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry was dominated by a tussle over whether evidence gathered by the commission’s investigator, Bongani Dlamini, could remain on the record.
1 day ago Read article
Police fired rubber bullets, stun grenades to disperse March and March protesters in Durban Iol
Police use rubber rounds and stun grenades to disperse March and March protesters in Durban.
1 day ago Read article
Chiefs Dream And European Ambition For SA Teen At Villarreal Soccerladuma
Linamandla Thage, 19, is pursuing his European football dream after earning a place in Villarreal's player development programme, his father Sello tells Soccer Laduma.
1 day ago Read article
IFP willing to sit in opposition over unstable coalitions The South African Broadcasting Corporation
IFP says its coalition decisions will be guided by its manifesto prioritising service delivery.
1 day ago Read article
Data confidence
High coverage
91

Coverage confidence reflects geographic matching, source authority, freshness, record coverage, and demographic alignment. It is not a liveability score.

geography
25 pts
source authority
20 pts
freshness
20 pts
record coverage
21 pts
demographic alignment
5 pts
Verified schools
1 inside · 2 nearby
Official school register
School · verified 2026-09-22
Source
Score dashboard
SAPS 2022-2023 · OSM Nov 2026 · Stats SA 2024
31
Safety
Weak
2022-2023
100
Affordability
Excellent
Stats SA 2024
54
Schools
Below average
2020
18
Transport
Weak
Nov 2026
65
Amenities
About average
Nov 2026
87
Lifestyle
Excellent
Nov 2026
70
Property Confidence
Good
RPPI 2010-2023
What these scores mean for Ballito

Each score is out of 100. Higher is better for you: a high affordability score means cheaper relative to local incomes, and a high safety score means less crime. Comparisons are with other areas in the same country.

Safety: 31/100 · Weak
Scores 31 out of 100, which is weak and lower than 91% of areas in South Africa. In practice, reported crime is high for its size; check the crime breakdown and talk to residents. What it measures: How safe the area is, from reported crime adjusted for population, with burglary and robbery counting most. How it is worked out: Severity-weighted reported crime per 1,000 residents vs the urban benchmark. Burglary and robbery are weighted heavily. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: SAPS crime statistics (SAPACR 2008–2023) (2022-2023).
Affordability: 100/100 · Excellent
Scores 100 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 98% of areas in South Africa. In practice, rent takes a reasonable share of local incomes. What it measures: How average rent compares with what households here typically earn. How it is worked out: Average rent as a share of median monthly income. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: Stats SA income & rental index (Stats SA 2024).
Schools: 54/100 · Below average
Scores 54 out of 100, which is below average and lower than 51% of areas in South Africa. What it measures: How many primary and secondary schools are within reach. How it is worked out: Real schools within range by phase (primary/secondary/pre-primary), weighted toward secondary. This is based on reasonable data, but not the most recent or most local. Source: DBE National Masterlist of Schools (2020) (2020).
Transport: 18/100 · Weak
Scores 18 out of 100, which is weak and lower than 99% of areas in South Africa. In practice, you will probably need a car for most trips. What it measures: Access to public transport stops, stations and main roads. How it is worked out: Density of public-transport stops and stations. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OpenStreetMap transport nodes (Nov 2026).
Amenities: 65/100 · About average
Scores 65 out of 100, which is about average and better than 93% of areas in South Africa. What it measures: Everyday places nearby, such as shops, pharmacies, clinics and banks. How it is worked out: Daily-convenience density: shops, food, healthcare, community. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OpenStreetMap & Google Places (Nov 2026).
Lifestyle: 87/100 · Excellent
Scores 87 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 99% of areas in South Africa. In practice, there is plenty to do nearby. What it measures: Places to eat, relax and spend free time, such as restaurants, parks and gyms. How it is worked out: Parks, food culture, and community sentiment once reviews accrue. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: OSM green space + resident sentiment (Nov 2026).
Property Confidence: 70/100 · Good
Scores 70 out of 100, which is good and better than 60% of areas in South Africa. In practice, property data is plentiful and prices look steady. What it measures: How much reliable property data we have and how stable prices look. How it is worked out: Directional year-on-year price movement — not a valuation. This is based on strong, recent official data. Source: Stats SA Residential Property Price Index (RPPI 2010-2023).
Full scoring method
Flood & earthquake history
🌊 Flood: None on record
🌍 Earthquake: None on record
See details
AI neighbourhood summary
AI-powered

Is this area good for families?

Ballito scores 54/100 for schools and 31/100 for safety — the two factors families weigh most. Its strongest areas are affordability and lifestyle. Be mindful of weaker safety and transport scores before committing.

Generated by AI · 2 months ago

Population (Census 2022)

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality — for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

4,121,285 people in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Black African 71%
Coloured 3%
Indian or Asian 20%
White 6%
Other 0%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

Municipal service delivery

Real Stats SA General Household Survey (GHS 2022) — based on 1,026 households surveyed in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Flush toilet access
76%
Pit/bucket toilet (backlog)
21%
Has electricity
99%
Regular refuse removal
81%
Water interruptions (past yr)
84%
Less happy than last year
45%
What residents are complaining about

% of households reporting each problem as present in their area.

Illegal rubbish dumping 39%
Littering 37%
Water pollution 19%
Air pollution 13%
Land degradation 19%
Noise pollution 12%

Source: Stats SA GHS 2022.

Households (Census 2022)

Real Stats SA Census 2022 — full count, based on 6,496 households. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Piped water inside dwelling
51%
Flush toilet
56%
Bucket toilet (backlog)
0%
Electricity for lighting
98%
Regular refuse removal
72%
Home internet access
12%
No internet access
17%
Owns a motor car
26%
Food security

% of households reporting hunger at least sometimes in the past year.

Adult hunger 20%
Child hunger 18%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

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Local services in Ballito

Tips from residents

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Tips are residents' own experience, checked by our team for language and personal details, not verified facts.

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Visiting Ballito

No attractions near here have been checked and published yet.

Load-shedding
No load-shedding
National status
✓ No load-shedding
Area-specific schedule not available for this suburb yet.
National status shown above. We're working on matching all suburbs.
Data via EskomSePush · Updates every 15 minutes
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Related guides
Is Ballito safe? Safest in Durban Most affordable in Durban Best for families in Durban

NeighbourhoodIQ is an information service, not legal or financial advice. Scores are computed from public data and are indicative only. Crime data: SAPS. Demographics: Stats SA. Amenities: OpenStreetMap contributors.

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