I am a UK born East Asian female who lived in Joburg (alone) as an expat for a few years... and I really love it. Yes, there are safety concerns so you must take precautions, however, I found the locals to be extremely warm and friendly (the one thing I wasn't expecting when I arrived), the weather is spot on, it's very cheap, good quality new build apartments in places like Sandton, Rosebank, Parkhurt, Bryanston etc and AMAZING quality restaurants e.g you can get an excellent fillet steak and a glass of wine for $15 in a high end restaurant. The going out scene was a little quiet but you could definitely find bars clubs open until 2/3 am. Meeting people I found easy as all the locals want to talk to you. A nomad wanting a high quality and cheap lifestyle I think would enjoy it. With that being said, Cape Town would be the better choice for a Nomad in South Africa.
Pros and Cons of Living in Johannesburg, South Africa
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Pros of Living in Johannesburg
Warm now Warm in the spring Perfect humidity now Good air quality usually Nomad List members liked going here a lot Many Nomad List members have been Spacious and not crowded Easy to make friends High quality of education Great freedom of speech Democratic Everyone speaks English Family friendly Very friendly to LGBTQ+ Not many people smoke tobacco
Cons of Living in Johannesburg
Expensive Not safe at all Pretty slow internet Not much to do Gets cold in the summer Bad air quality today Not many Nomad List members right now Difficult to do business Roads can be dangerous Not safe for women -
joburg has been a great place to Nomad. Nice coffee shops in the Sandton Parkhurst and Rosebank area. Very friendly people and fast internet. Rent is pretty cheap. Not much of a nomad scene but there were a decent amount of online entreprenuers around.
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I have been to Jo berg twice. The last time being 3-years ago. Each visit was not pleasant as being in the city reminded me of being in Northern Ireland in the early 1980’s. I was in the British military and engaged in various bits and bobs in the most dangerous village in the country (based upon the number of security forces who lost there lives there). The reason I mention this is the ‘vibe’ in Jo Berg is exactly the same as it was in Northern Ireland’s ‘murder central’. The only exception is i was walking around without the comfort of a weapon in my hands and three other desperados backing me up (we operated in 4 man teams). I have had a look at the ‘scores’ section on Jo Berg and it is in no way representative of the situation on the ground. Whether you are an expat nomad or a whatever please understand that Jo Berg is not a place to go ‘sight seeing’ in unless you have a couple SUV’s rammed with black water personnel following you. Joking aside there are better places to live in Southern Africa.
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