One South African food store is much cheaper than Pick n Pay and Checkers

Food Lover’s Market is the cheapest grocery retailer in South Africa for a basket of essential grocery items compared to its top five competitors, including Pick n Pay and Checkers.

This is according to BusinessTech’s grocery basket comparison, which collected the online prices of nine staple foods and products in a typical middle-income grocery basket as of May 2025.

The comparison included six of South Africa’s major retailers – Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, Woolworths, and Food Lover’s Market.

The grocery basket comparison includes the following products:

• 700g loaf of Albany Superior sliced white bread
• 2-litre sunflower oil (cheapest option)
• 2.5kg Iwisa maize meal
• 2.5kg Selati white sugar
• 2-litre milk (cheapest option)
• 2kg Tastic rice
• 2.5kg Snowflake cake flour
• 175g bar of Dettol herbal soap
• 9-pack of two-ply toilet paper (cheapest option)

In certain instances, not all retailers may carry specific brands that are directly comparable to one another.

For example, Woolworths may not offer Albany Superior sliced white bread but may provide a similar alternative for comparison purposes.

To ensure consistency, each store selects the most affordable sunflower oil, milk, and toilet paper.

If any substitutions are necessary, these are clearly outlined and justified in the price comparison table below.

It’s important to note that it’s possible to discover the same basket of products at a lower price or opt for less expensive non-branded options.

Prices may also vary from one region to another (such as provinces or cities) or within different franchises, which is the case with Spar.

The basket is, therefore, not a representation of the absolute cheapest version of every item. The specific brands are chosen for consistency across retailers and their recognisability among middle-class shoppers.

The pricing in the analysis comes from retailers in Gauteng. The normal price of items was used, and limited-time specials were not considered.

The results

According to the data collected, the average cost for our basket of nine staple items in May 2025 was R420.66. This is only R0.77 more than the price of the same basket of foods recorded in May 2024.

Pick n Pay has the most expensive basket at R442.91, R5.50 more than last year. Woolworths is the second most expensive at R440.91.

Spar followed behind Woolworths with a basket price of R421.91. Interestingly, this is R19.00 more than in 2024. It must be noted that Spar is franchised, meaning prices and items can vary from store to store.

Shoprite saw a year-on-year decline in prices, with its basket priced at R414.91, which is R6.50 less than in 2024.

Food Lover’s Market offers the cheapest basket in May 2025, totalling R384.38, which was R1.59 more than last year, slightly higher than the average increase.

However, this is notably cheaper than the other retailers. Food Lovers’ basket is R58.53 and R34.53 less than Pick n Pay and Checkers, respectively. 

This is also R30.53 less than the second-cheapest retailer, Shoprite, which priced the basket at R414.91.

Checkers is the third cheapest, priced at R418.91. This is R24.00 less than Pick n Pay and R6.50 more than March 2024.

The table below breaks down the prices for each item from the eight grocery retailers and shows which is the least expensive.