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Neighbourhoods › Eastern Cape › Berea
79
/ 100

Berea

Strong

East London, Eastern Cape

Residential
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Recommended Based on 7 scored dimensions
Best reasons
92
Property confidence
89
Safety — 4,761 reported incidents in the latest period
86
Affordability
Trade-offs
18
Transport
Is Berea right for you?

Berea stands out for low crime and schools nearby, with the trade-off of high prices for local incomes and limited public transport.

What is good here

  • Crime is lower than in most areas.
  • There are more schools within reach than in most areas.
  • 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

  • Homes are expensive compared with local incomes.
  • Public transport is limited, so you will probably need a car.

Who it suits

  • Families with children Suits well

    Low crime, schools nearby and shops and services close by.

  • Young professionals and renters Could work

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

  • Retirees and a quieter life Suits well

    Low crime and shops and services close by.

  • Living without a car Could work

    Shops and services close by, but limited public transport.

  • Buying on a budget Could work

    Steady property prices, but high prices for local incomes.

Compared with nearby areas

In East London In South Africa
Safety Among the best Among the best
Affordability Among the lowest Below most
Schools Among the best Among the best
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 Among the best
What's happening
Local & city news, notices and alerts
Valeura Energy Inc. Announces Exploration, Development, Production Success Investing News Network (inn)
CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / November 11, 2026 / Valeura Energy Inc. (TSX:VLE,OTC:VLERF)(OTCQX:VLERF) ("Valeura" or the "Company") reports its unaudited financial and operating results for the three and nine month periods ended 30 September 2026. The complete quarterly reporting package for the ...
1 day ago Read article
WEATHER TODAY: Upington 40°C and Kimberley 39°C as the heat wave holds South African
Weather for Wednesday: Mahikeng, Rustenburg, Klerksdorp and Kroonstad reach 36°C, while Cape Town stays cloudy and mild at 24°C and Durban settles at 27°C.
1 day ago Read article
Proteas vs Bangladesh Tests: Squad, dates, where to watch South African
South Africa host Bangladesh in November and December, including two clashes that could shape the World Test Championship.
1 day ago Read article
One Young World calls for ethical philanthropy and democratic courage Iol
Tawakkol Karman giving a keynote address at the One Young World Summit 2026.
2 days ago Read article
Judge’s lawyer says racism complaint was an “act of reprisal” Ebnewsdaily
Thozamile Semekazi testifies before the Judicial Conduct Tribunal on Tuesday. Photo: The South African Judiciary/Facebook Judge Belinda Hartle’s lawyers say a clerk’s complaint that she swore at him and used the “k-word” is revenge for an article her husband wrote. The article referred to an anonymous letter in which the clerk, Thozamile Semekazi, was accused […]
2 days ago Read article
Data confidence
High coverage
95

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
25 pts
demographic alignment
5 pts
Verified schools
8 inside · 52 nearby
Official school register
School · verified 2026-09-22
Source
Score dashboard
SAPS 2022-2023 · OSM Nov 2026 · modelled
89
Safety
Excellent
2022-2023
86
Affordability
Excellent
modelled
82
Schools
Good
2020
18
Transport
Weak
Nov 2026
83
Amenities
Good
Nov 2026
82
Lifestyle
Good
Nov 2026
92
Property Confidence
Excellent
RPPI 2010-2023
What these scores mean for Berea

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: 89/100 · Excellent
Scores 89 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 91% of areas in South Africa. In practice, reported crime is low for its size. 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: 86/100 · Excellent
Scores 86 out of 100, which is excellent and lower than 99% 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 (modelled).
Schools: 82/100 · Good
Scores 82 out of 100, which is good and better than 73% of areas in South Africa. In practice, there is a good choice of schools nearby. 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: 83/100 · Good
Scores 83 out of 100, which is good and better than 98% of areas in South Africa. In practice, most everyday errands can be done close to home. 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: 82/100 · Good
Scores 82 out of 100, which is good and better than 98% 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: 92/100 · Excellent
Scores 92 out of 100, which is excellent and better than 87% 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

Population (Census 2022)

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

968,651 people in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
Black African 85%
Coloured 5%
Indian or Asian 1%
White 8%
Other 1%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

Municipal service delivery

Real Stats SA General Household Survey (GHS 2022) — based on 322 households surveyed in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Flush toilet access
76%
Pit/bucket toilet (backlog)
24%
Has electricity
93%
Regular refuse removal
66%
Water interruptions (past yr)
73%
Less happy than last year
56%
What residents are complaining about

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

Illegal rubbish dumping 31%
Littering 38%
Water pollution 34%
Air pollution 43%
Land degradation 54%
Noise pollution 31%

Source: Stats SA GHS 2022.

Households (Census 2022)

Real Stats SA Census 2022 — full count, based on 21,116 households. for the wider municipality/province this suburb sits in.

Piped water inside dwelling
59%
Flush toilet
77%
Bucket toilet (backlog)
1%
Electricity for lighting
92%
Regular refuse removal
67%
Home internet access
8%
No internet access
24%
Owns a motor car
26%
Food security

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

Adult hunger 32%
Child hunger 29%

Source: Stats SA Census 2022.

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Local services in Berea

Tips from residents

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Visiting Berea

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 Berea safe? Safest in East London Most affordable in East London Best for families in East London

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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