Most expensive province to buy groceries in South Africa

Gauteng has been identified as the most expensive province in South Africa to buy groceries, according to data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group.

The PMBEJD tracks the cost of a typical household food basket across different regions, and its latest report reveals a stark difference in grocery costs between the country’s three main economic hubs.

Johannesburg, the largest city in Gauteng, stands out as the priciest, surpassing Durban and Cape Town significantly.

The latest PMBEJD data, which covers September 2024, shows that the cost of its household food basket has continued to rise, reflecting broader trends in food inflation.

According to the PMBEJD, the average cost of the basket, which includes 44 essential food items, was R5,255.68 in September 2024, representing a 1.9% increase (R99.91) compared to the same month in 2023.

The month-on-month increase, although smaller, was still notable at 0.5%, or R28.54.

This modest increase of 1.9% is lower than the annual consumer price inflation, which was 4.4% in August 2024, down from 4,6% in July 2024.

This CPI data, released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), indicated a slight cooling in food inflation compared to earlier months, where the CPI for food peaked at 5.1% in June 2024.

While food inflation has slowed, it remains an ongoing concern for South African consumers, especially in urban areas like Johannesburg, where grocery costs are significantly higher.

The PMBEJD’s household food basket is designed to reflect the purchasing patterns of households in South Africa.

The items included in the basket represent what an average household might buy on a monthly basis.

While this basket caters to lower-income groups, its findings offer valuable insight into broader food price trends that affect all consumers across the country.

The report notes that 13 of the 44 food items tracked in the basket saw a year-on-year decrease in price, offering some relief to consumers.

Vegetables such as onions and butternut led the way in price drops, with onions decreasing by 34% and butternut falling by 32%.

Despite these reductions, however, 31 items in the basket saw price increases over the past year, with nine of these items experiencing double-digit inflation.

Notably, three of these products saw price hikes of over 20%, reflecting ongoing pressures on certain food categories:

• Tomatoes: +32%
• Sugar beans: +30%
• Eggs: +21%

The cost breakdown by region highlights the significant price disparities between provinces.

In Johannesburg, the cost of the household food basket increased by R231.75 (4.4%), from R5,250.89 in September 2023 to R5,482.65 in September 2024.

This makes Johannesburg the most expensive metro for groceries, with costs exceeding the national average of R5,255 by R227.

In contrast, Durban, the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, saw a similarly high increase of 4.4%, with the basket rising by R219.58, from R5,007.16 in 2023 to R5,226.74 in 2024.

Cape Town, however, presents a different story.

The Western Cape’s largest city experienced a decrease in food prices, with the cost of the household basket falling by 2.6%, or R132.23, from R5,172.42 in September 2023 to R5,040.18 in September 2024.

This drop makes Cape Town the cheapest of the three major metros, with grocery costs R443 less than in Johannesburg, underscoring the regional disparities in food pricing across South Africa.

Looking ahead, experts forecast that food prices in South Africa will remain under pressure, with inflation likely to persist into 2025, albeit at a more moderate rate than seen earlier in 2024.

Rising input costs and damaging weather patterns for farmers, coupled with global supply chain disruptions and local economic challenges, are expected to keep food prices elevated.

However, some relief may come from a predicted stabilisation in vegetable prices, as favourable weather conditions in some regions could boost production and ease supply constraints.

Nonetheless, the outlook remains uncertain, and consumers in provinces like Gauteng may continue to feel the strain of higher grocery bills compared to other parts of the country.

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