SA’s smallest province emerges as top choice for first-time home buyers
SA’s young population is driving housing demand, with one province attracting first-time home buyers seeking affordability and convenience.
Black News 
South Africa’s young population is increasingly shaping the country’s housing market, with one province emerging as a major winner.
As more young people move to urban centres for work opportunities, affordable housing and lifestyle convenience, demand for homes in South Africa’s smallest province, Gauteng, continues to grow.
South Africa’s median age is now 29, while the average first-time home buyer is 35. Reflecting this trend, the national average age of home buyers declined to 40 years between January and April 2026.
Gauteng remains the country’s top migration destination
Despite attention on semigration to the Western Cape, Gauteng continues to attract the largest share of internal migration, property experts reveal.
According to Stats SA, Gauteng’s population increased from 9.9 million in 2002 to 16.1 million in 2025, largely driven by younger South Africans seeking jobs in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
This population growth is now feeding directly into housing demand.
Data from Ooba Home Loans shows that first-time buyers accounted for 44.2% of all applications in Johannesburg between January and April 2026.
In Gauteng South and East, first-time buyers made up 57% of applications.
Johannesburg also recorded the strongest increase in first-time buyer purchase prices nationally, rising 21.8% year-on-year to an average of R1.38 million.
Banks are also increasingly competing for first-time buyers by offering lower deposit requirements, cost-inclusive home loans and more favourable lending terms.
According to Ooba, the average deposit paid by first-time buyers dropped to 8.3% between January and April 2026, down from 9.9% a year earlier.
Relatively stable interest rates, new residential developments and demand for lifestyle hubs close to work and amenities are also supporting Gauteng’s property market.
Province still leads in jobs and income
Gauteng’s strong employment market also continues to support housing demand.
Over the past five years, the province created more jobs than the Western Cape, although these opportunities were spread across multiple metros.
Income levels also remain strong. According to SARS 2025 statistics, Johannesburg residents earned the highest average income among South Africa’s metros in 2024 at R480 318 per year.
This was R109 000 more than Cape Town and R68 200 higher than Tshwane.
As South Africa’s young population continues to grow and urbanise, Gauteng appears increasingly well-positioned to benefit from the next wave of housing demand, despite ongoing economic and global uncertainties.
