Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa has seen an uptick in reverse emigration as more and more citizens living abroad are deciding to move back into the country.
The TEFL Academy’s Reverse Emigration in South Africa report shows around a million South Africans living abroad in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States of America.
The report also shows that around 30% of these citizens show some interest in returning to South Africa, an increase of over 10% within the last two years.
Parity Wealth Management Director Sean Kelly appeared on CapeTalk to discuss the reasons why many South Africans are deciding to come home.
Kelly explained that the main reason many of these citizens are now choosing to move back is that the cost of living in South Africa is much lower than in those three countries.
“A really simple way to understand this is through the ‘Big Mac Index’,” Kelly said. “All it does is compare the price of the same McDonald’s burger around the world.”
“In the US or the UK, one burger costs about $6 or R100. In South Africa, that same $6 buys you almost two burgers. So, your money effectively goes twice as far in South Africa.”
Kelly said this can be seen in South Africa’s housing sector, which generally offers better value for the amount of space than some foreign housing markets.
He also pointed out that South Africa’s private medical aid schemes are, on average, cheaper than private healthcare schemes in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
Many of the returning South Africans still work for offshore employers but choose to return to take advantage of the lower cost of living in South Africa.
“Between 30% to 40% of young professionals in developed markets now do some form of remote or hybrid work,” Kelly said.
“They are no longer tied to living overseas, meaning they can come back to South Africa and have that lifestyle.”
Protecting your money when returning home
Family Wealth Custodians Managing Director Hardi Swart
While many South Africans are choosing to return home for the lifestyle, others sometimes have no choice but to come back.
This is often due to circumstances beyond their control, such as job uncertainty or political instability in the country where they reside.
For instance, many South Africans living and working in Middle East countries like the United Arab Emirates have had to move back due to the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation reported that 6,400 South Africans in the Middle East had registered for their Travel Smart system by 4 March 2026.
By 9 March 2026, the department said 150 of these citizens had safely returned to South Africa, a little over a week since the war began on 28 February.
Family Wealth Custodians’ managing director Hardi Swart has urged these South Africans to take steps to ensure they will be financially stable upon returning.
Swart gave a number of rules for returning South Africans to follow to make good financial decisions when moving back home, with the most important being not to panic.
“If you are returning to South Africa earlier than planned, there is often a strong urge to act immediately,” Swart said. “You may want to bring all your money back at once.”
“Those reactions are understandable, but urgency often leads to mistakes. Good planning creates certainty far better than emotional action ever will.”
Swart emphasised that returning South Africans should also focus on settling their lifestyle expenses before they start rebuilding their investment portfolios.
Other principles Swart recommends include carefully dividing money between immediate settling-in costs and longer-term investments, keeping currency exchanges in mind, and properly planning for retirement.
“This is not just a money decision. It is a life transition,” Swart said. “Start with the life you want your money to support, then build the financial plan around that.”
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