Retirees can settle down in a coastal town at affordable prices. The trick is knowing where to look. Dreaming of living by the coast in your twilight years? Dream no more. It could become a reality for as little as R600 000.
Retirees have the benefit of not needing amenities like prestigious schools or a job in driving distance.
Take advantage of that and pick up an affordable home in one of these coastal towns before their prices rise.
Where to get affordable coastal property in your retirement
There’s plenty of speculation that moving to the coast is a costly exercise. It doesn’t have to be. If you’re not thinking of moving to Camps Bay or La Lucia, you could find a safe coastal village where your hair grows grey from the salt air and not the stress.
Western Cape
The Western Cape has benefitted from years of semigration from inland provinces. That interest has caused property prices to skyrocket. So, unfortunately, only a handful of affordable coastal locations remain.
However, there are some gems where retirees can experience beachside bliss.
Franskraal on the R43 is one such example. Located close to Gaansbaai, this tiny coastal village remains unspoiled. Within a 40-minute drive, you’re in the heart of Hermanus, where you can do all your weekly shopping.
Lamberts Bay is the other option. Off the N7 and in the Cederburg municipality, you can get a coastal cottage along the more than 2 kilometres of pristine coast.
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape provides value for money. There are several options within business districts, allowing retirees to get the best of city and coastal living.
Southernwood is one such example. While it isn’t on the coast, you’re mere minutes from the sought-after Nahoon, where homes sell for R2 million.
Quigney and Bluewater Bay are affordable and right on the beach.
waZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is the crown of affordable coastal living.
Retirees have their choice of suburbs, offering different property types and sizes. The province also has a thriving pensioner community.
You can spend time with people who appreciate the past and won’t treat it as an era when dinosaurs roamed.
You can have your pick of suburbs in Margate or the peaceful Hibberdene for your twilight years.
What to expect when moving to a coastal town
If you’re searching for an affordable home for your retirement, don’t expect a mansion. Everything under R600 000 will be a modest dwelling.
You’re swapping space in the city for simplicity at the shore.
But if you really need additional space, KwaZulu-Natal has the most options.
Other than that, most other coastal towns have small 70-square-metre flats or cottages.
That simplicity can be good for your health as you age.
According to ScienceDirect, those living by the coast can increase their life expectancy by one year.
The cleaner air and cooler temperatures could contribute, but it could also be the active lifestyle when living oceanside.
Walks along the beach, sunrise or sunset swimming, kayaking, and fishing — things you can’t do inland.
Being close to inland waterways won’t have the same effect.
Instead, the same study showed living by an inland water source could be detrimental to your health.
Maybe it’s time to move to the coast.