In this vlog, AskRobAnything draws on 12 years of living in South Africa and owning a home in Cape Town to debunk five common myths that prospective retirees or long‑term visitors hold about the country. The video opens by acknowledging the romantic image of South Africa—wine farms, sunshine, cheap living—and then systematically addresses each misconception: (1) safety is portrayed as a constant, overwhelming threat, yet with common‑sense precautions and an understanding of local norms, daily life feels normal; (2) the belief that money stretches endlessly is nuanced by the higher costs of private healthcare, security, imports, taxes, and exchange‑rate volatility, meaning retirees must budget consciously; (3) the idea that moving abroad automatically eases emotional stress is false, as personal worries, health, and relationships travel with you, requiring deliberate effort to build new routines and friendships; (4) the notion that South Africa is simply a cheaper version of Europe ignores distinct infrastructure, bureaucracy, and cultural differences that demand adaptation; (5) the expectation that homesickness will fade quickly is challenged, with the creator noting lingering longing for familiar people and customs, leading them to split time between Cape Town and the UK. Throughout, the host shares personal anecdotes, practical tips (security measures, budgeting, networking), and emphasizes that retiring abroad is both a financial and emotional decision. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to share their own myth‑related concerns and a teaser about an upcoming trip to Croatia as a potential second retirement location.
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Before we bought a home in South Africa, there were 5 things that we genuinely believed about retiring here, and honestly, we got some of them completely wrong. Some things were better than expected, some things were definitely harder, and one of these things still catches me off guard now. Because when people think about retiring in South Africa or spending longer periods here, they usually imagine beautiful wine farms, amazing weather, cheap living, and that laid-back, relaxed lifestyle. And yes, Some of that is absolutely true, but after spending the last 12 years coming here and eventually buying a home in Cape Town and spending the UK winters here, we can tell you the reality is far more complicated, emotional, and human than most YouTube videos make it seem. So in this video, I want to talk honestly about the 5 biggest myths I think people get wrong about retiring or spending extended lengths of time in South Africa. And just quickly before we start, this isn't coming from people who visited Cape Town once on holiday. We spent years traveling around here, understanding what daily life actually feels like, and eventually making the decision to buy a home in Cape Town. So this video isn't really about holiday South Africa, it's about real life South Africa. Now let's start with the obvious one. The biggest fear most people have about South Africa is safety. And honestly, before spending real time here, I had exactly the same fear. And if you look at our comments on other videos, others definitely have the same concerns. Because if you only know South Africa through the headlines or social media, it can be absolutely terrifying, and why on earth would you come here? And the truth is, when we first started spending longer periods here, I realized very quickly that you cannot live in the same way that we live in Europe, and that adjustment took some time. Things like sticking to main tourist locations, not walking certain places at night, being more aware of your surroundings, keeping valuables out of sight, security gates, alarms, electric fencing, car guards— all of that felt initially quite shocking to us. And I think the mistake some YouTubers make is pretending that those things don't exist because they don't want to sound negative, and instead they want to create beautiful tourist videos, which is great. And of course, we try and do that some of the time too. But pretending South Africa has no safety concerns, or just ignoring them, isn't honest and certainly doesn't set up a first-time visitor to have the best experience. But on the other hand, I think many people overseas imagine daily life here is a constant danger and fear, and it puts them off ever visiting, let alone considering longer stretches of time here. After all, the first question most people ask me about South Africa is to say, "Yes, but Rob, is it safe?" because they have read some headline somewhere. But that level of danger hasn't been our experience. What surprised me most is how normal life actually feels once you understand the environment that you're living in. People go out, the restaurants are absolutely packed, people socialize, people exercise, life carries on, and you simply adapt. And I think that's probably the most honest way I can describe it. South Africa isn't somewhere that you move to blindly, but I also don't think fear tells the full story either. And we have published lots of videos on safety previously, and I'll put a link up here to them, so I'm not going to dig into this topic to deeply, except to say bring your common sense, follow some simple rules, and you will be safe. Now the second myth is one I think almost everybody believes before they come here, move here, or spend extended lengths of time here, and that is the idea that money will go so far in South Africa that you'll basically feel wealthy all the time. And honestly, before we bought here, we probably thought that too, because when you visit South Africa on holiday, everything definitely does feel incredibly affordable compared to Europe, the UK, US, New Zealand, Australia, and so on. Beautiful meals, amazing wine, domestic travel is cost-effective, luxury apartments, eating out all the time. And yes, in many ways your money absolutely does stretch further here because of the relative weakness of the rand, so your pound, dollar, or euro does go a lot further. But what holiday spending actually doesn't show you is the real costs of building a life here— things like private healthcare, security, exchange rate swings, grabbing flights back home, imported products, property maintenance, daily taxes, and all the other boring but very real day-to-day life costs. And what happens very quickly is that your lifestyle expands to match the environment around you. You stop thinking like a tourist and you start thinking like somebody who is living here full-time. Now, don't get me wrong, I still think South Africa offers incredible value compared to many parts of the world, but I think the fantasy that you'll automatically feel rich all the time is slightly misleading. The reality is just more nuanced than that, and as you will have seen from recent videos, the cost of living in South Africa is getting higher and higher. And yes, I acknowledge that that makes it really tough for those who earn in rand. So yeah, you won't necessarily live like a king, and you will need to be conscious of your spending, but you will also have an amazing quality and standard of life. Now, this next one might actually be the biggest myth of all, and I don't necessarily just mean in South Africa. I think a lot of people imagine retiring abroad as this moment where suddenly life feels easier, happier, and stress-free. And I completely understand why, because when you're sitting in grey weather back home watching videos of Cape Town beaches and sunshine, it's very easy to project this fantasy onto another country. But here's the thing I've realised: you don't leave yourself behind at the airport. Your personality comes with you, your worries come with you, your health comes with you, and your relationship dynamics come with you as well. And And sometimes when you move abroad, those things can actually feel more intense because you've lost your old routines and your old support systems. Now thankfully, we've absolutely loved many parts of living here, but there are also moments where living abroad can feel lonely. You have to rebuild routines. Friendships take time, and in fact, as many people have said, Cape Town can be a tough nut to crack if you don't already know people there. When you move abroad, especially later in life, you can't just assume friendships will happen automatically. You have to make effort and put yourself out there. Join things, say yes to invitations, stepping outside your comfort zone, meeting neighbors, finding communities that match your interests, and using connections to make introductions. So for example, for me, I had one old client that used to go to Cape Town every winter, and before she went home, she introduced me to one of her friends who she thought I would get on with. We got on well, he introduced me to another of his friends, and before I knew it, I had this growing network of people who were kind of similar. To me, because a beautiful view is wonderful, but it won't replace having people you can call for a coffee, a walk, or just a normal chat, or when you're having one of those days. And without this, a new location can feel really lonely. So my advice would be this: don't move abroad because you think it will magically fix your life. Move because you're clear about what you want your life to become. And before you make the leap, ask yourself some honest questions. Such as what will my daily routine look like, who will I spend time with, and how am I going to meet new people, and what gives me purpose in life, and how will I cope when the excitement and novelty wears off. Because trust me, retiring abroad can be incredible, but it works best when you are moving towards a life that you've thought through, not just running away from one that you're tired of. And that is the real difference. Now, I completely understand why so many people say this next one, because when you first arrive in Cape Town, parts of it do feel strangely familiar. The language, the cafes, the wine and food culture, the scenery, the lifestyle. And I think that's exactly why so many Europeans, Brits, and Americans fall in love with it, and we certainly did. But over time, you also realize that this isn't Europe with better weather. It's South Africa, it's Africa, and daily life here works differently. Not better, not worse, just different. Infrastructure issues, the contrast between wealthy and poverty cannot be ignored and is very evident, the unpredictability, the bureaucracy, those things become part of your daily reality too. And I think sometimes foreigners accidentally romanticize Cape Town because they mainly experience the beautiful bubble parts of it, but living somewhere is different from visiting somewhere. Eventually you stop seeing only the mountains and the sunsets and you start understanding the deeper complexity of the country itself. Honestly, Though, this is part of what makes South Africa so fascinating and so appealing to us. And I think one of the biggest mistakes foreigners can make is arriving in South Africa and expecting everything to work the same way it does back home, because the moment you constantly compare everything to Europe, America, or wherever your home is, you probably end up being super frustrated and disappointed. Things work differently here, sometimes slower, sometimes less predictably, sometimes in ways that simply don't make sense to you initially. It's about embracing the culture, the warmth of the people, the humour, the resilience, the lifestyle, and yes, even some of the idiosyncrasies that make South Africa uniquely African. Because if you move here expecting a cheaper version of your home country, I genuinely think that you will struggle. But if you move here open to experiences and a different way of life, then South Africa becomes a really special place to live. And finally, this is probably the myth that surprised me the most emotionally. I think people assume that if you move somewhere beautiful enough, eventually you stop missing home because you hope it obviously will eventually become your home. But honestly, that isn't really how it works, and not— at least not for the first few years. Because even when you're incredibly happy somewhere, there are still moments when you miss familiarity: family, old friends, the humour, routine, even those silly things from home that you took for granted. And what is strange is that sometimes those feelings hit you unexpectedly. Maybe it's Christmas, maybe it's hearing an accent, maybe it's a random memory, maybe it's your best friend's special birthday, yet you're thousands of miles away. I think before moving abroad, we imagined life was more binary than it really is. Like, you either love your new life or you miss your old one, but actually both those things can exist in the same moment. You can absolutely build a beautiful life life in South Africa while still occasionally missing where you came from. And honestly, I think accepting that makes the whole experience emotionally easier, and at the end of the day, you're only a plane ride away from your home country. It's why, at least for now, we have struck the balance between 6 months in Cape Town and 6 months in the UK. Now, despite everything I've said in this video, I want to be really clear: we love South Africa. It's given us some of the happiest moments of our lives, and buying here is still one of the best decisions that we ever made. But loving Loving a place doesn't mean pretending it's perfect, and retiring abroad isn't just a financial decision or a lifestyle decision. It's also an emotional decision. You're not choosing better weather, cheaper wine, or a different view. You're choosing a new version of your daily life, and that means asking harder questions. Can I adapt? Can I build friendships? Can I cope missing home, friends, and family? Can I accept this country as it is rather than complaining about things or constantly comparing it to where I've come from. That's why I wanted to make this video, because sometimes YouTube makes retiring abroad look simple or only shows a country through rose-tinted glasses, but people deserve a more honest conversation. And I think if you go into this with your eyes wide open and an open mind, South Africa can be an incredible place to build the next chapter of your life. So I genuinely love to know which of these myths worries or surprised you the most, or if you've already moved abroad somewhere, what surprised you most emotionally once you actually did? Let me know in the comments because I really love hearing your experiences too. Okay, that's the end of this short, honest video. I hope you found it useful, and join me and James next time where we are going to be heading out to Croatia to see if Croatia and Cape Town could be the two locations that we eventually retire to.
