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Artificial Grass vs a Real Lawn — The Ten-Year Cost in Cape Town

Compare artificial grass against a real lawn on ten years, not on day one. A 100 m² lawn costs R19 900 once, against R70 000 to R110 000 watered and mown.

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Tell us the area and we come back with a price per square metre, supply and fit included.

Dry dormant front lawn beside a green artificial lawn in a Cape Town street
Watered and unwatered, side by side.
01

Artificial grass against a real lawn, over ten years

Compare the ten-year cost, not the install cost. Real grass is cheaper on day one and dearer by year four, because water, fertiliser, mowing and replacement keep arriving.

100 m² over ten years, Cape Town
ArtificialInstant lawn
InstalledR19 900R8 500
Water, 10 yearsR0R38 000 - R55 000
Mowing and feedingR0R24 000 - R40 000
ReplacementR0Once, typically
Ten-year totalR19 900R70 000 - R110 000
Dry dormant front lawn beside a green artificial lawn in a Cape Town street
Two front gardens in one street, one watered and one not.
02

Where real grass still wins

  • Very large areas. A hectare of turf is not economic.
  • Heat. Real grass stays cooler in full sun.
  • Ground that must stay permeable. Some estates require it.
  • Biodiversity. Turf supports nothing living.

Honest answer: a small used garden suits turf, a large unused one suits planting.

03

The middle option

Turf the part of the garden that gets used and plant the rest. Most large Cape Town plots end up this way, with turf near the house and waterwise planting beyond it.

See what that costs on the price list.