How much more you’re paying for petrol, DStv and McDonald’s in South Africa – 2014 vs 2024
South African consumers are fighting extremely challenging times, with the prices of goods and services growing substantially over the last decade.
Amid 15-year high interest rates, elevated inflation and a weak economy, South African consumers are struggling to make ends meet.
DebtBusters’ head, Benay Sager, said that last year was the most difficult year financially for South Africans in the last 15 to 20 years.
2024 has not started much better, with CPI increasing from 5.1% in December 2023 to 5.3% in January 2024.
To highlight the pressure on household finances, BusinessTech has looked at the price increases of three goods – DStv Premium, a litre of 95 petrol and a McDonald’s Big Mac.
These products have seen substantial increases, with the Big Mac doubling in price over the decade.
That said, when accounting for inflation, the increases provide for less painful reading.
| Product | 2014 | 2014 (Inflation) | 2024 | Change | Change (Inflation) |
| Big Mac | R23.50 | R37.59 | R51.90 | +120.86% | +38.07% |
| DStv Premium | R665.00 | R1 063.60 | R929.00 | +39.7% | -12.66% |
| 95 petrol per litre | R14.32 | R22.90 | R24.45 | +71.19% | +6.79% |
Petrol
South Africans are experiencing significant pain at the pumps, with petrol going up R1.21 per litre and diesel by R1.06 and R1.19 per litre tomorrow 6 March 2024.
A large reason for the pain at the pumps is the weakness of the rand, with the average Rand/US Dollar exchange rate in February being 19.0186 compared to 18.7655 during the previous period.
Over the last decade, the price for a litre of inland 95 petrol increased by 71.19% from R14.32 in March 2014 to R22.90 in March 2024.
When accounting for inflation, the price of petrol still increased by 6.79%.
Increased fuel prices have also been a key driver of inflation in South Africa, affecting not only transport costs but also the costs of food.
DStv Premium
DStv Premium prices will increase by 5.7% in April of this year to R929 per month – higher than the latest inflation print of 5.3%.
Increases across all DStv products range from 3.1% to 7.8%.
“We believe these adjustments are reasonable considering the significant 16% year-on-year depreciation of the Rand against the US Dollar, and our commitment to securing long-term broadcast sports rights and international studio deals, which are priced in US Dollars,” said MultiChoice South Africa CEO Marc Jury.
Despite the upcoming increase and widespread antipathy for DStv’s prices, when accounting for inflation, DStv premium prices have dropped by more than 12% over the last decade.
Big Mac
South Africans are paying substantially more for McDonald’s popular Big Mac burger, with the price increasing by over 120% from R23.50 to R51,90 in 2024.
When accounting for inflation over the decade, the price still increased by over 38%.
Despite the above-inflation increase, the Economist’s Big Mac Index shows that South Africans are paying less for the popular burger than most, indicating how the rand is undervalued.
A Big Mac in the USA costs $5.69, and when using direct comparison in pricing, the implied exchange rate of the rand is R9.12.
The difference between the implied and actual exchange rate, R19.19 at the time The Economist did the study, suggests that the rand is 52.5% undervalued – the most the 4th most under-valued currency in the analysis.
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