Most expensive province to buy groceries in South Africa

Gauteng and its main metro, Johannesburg, remains the most expensive area in South Africa to buy groceries in March 2025, followed by Cape Town and then Durban.

This is according to data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, which tracks the cost of a household food basket across the three major provinces.

The PMBEJD report found that while 16 of the 44 tracked food items became cheaper year over year, 28 experienced price hikes and five items saw double-digit inflation.

There are further risks to food prices for 2025, with the latest food inflation data showing an increase in general prices.

In its latest inflation report, Stats SA warned that food, non-alcoholic beverages (NAB), alcoholic beverages, and tobacco recorded higher annual rates in February.

The data shows that the annual rate for food & NAB reached a four-month peak in February, rising to 2.8% from 2.3% in January.

Fruit and nuts, vegetables, hot beverages, seafood, meat, and cereals recorded higher rates, while cold beverages, milk, dairy, and eggs, oils and fats, and sugar, confectionery, and desserts saw slower increases.

Worryingly, maize meal inflation reached a 17-month high and samp a 19-month high. The price index for maize meal increased by an annual 10.6% and samp by 18.7%.

Stats SA said that these increases are driven by inflationary pressures in the production chain. The latest PPI showed that annual farm inflation for maize was 64.7%.

Maize meal is an important and relatively cheap source of food for many low-income households, with increases having a disproportionate impact on them.

On average, consumer prices for meat were stable in February, with the monthly and annual rate change remaining at 0%.

However, inflation for hot beverages continues to accelerate, with the annual price change hitting 14.6% in February, up from 13.7% in January.

Instant coffee recorded an annual rate of 19.0%, the highest in half a year. The rate for black tea was 12,4%.

Most expensive city

As of the end of March 2025, the cost of a household food basket, comprising 44 essential food items that reflect typical purchasing patterns, reached R5,329.36.

This is a 1.0% annual increase of R51.43 compared to March 2024. However, month-on-month, the basket price saw a smaller increase of R16.14 or 0.3%, compared to February.

Although this annual increase is lower than the latest consumer price inflation rate of 3.2%, food costs remain a significant concern for many South Africans, especially in urban areas where grocery prices continue to show an increase.

A breakdown of costs by region further highlights the disparities. In Johannesburg, the household food basket cost R5,481.88 in March 2025, reflecting a 1.8% increase of R94.60 from the previous year.

This is also R35.82 more than the recorded basket price of R5,446.07 in February. It also surpasses the national average by R152.52, making Johannesburg the most expensive metro for groceries.

The monthly data showing an increase in prices in Johannesburg means the cost of food is steadily rising in 2025 as indicated by Stats SA’s data.

In comparison, Durban has taken over Cape Town as the cheapest city for groceries, although it still recorded an increase.

Durban’s food basket was recorded at R5,267.58, which is R214.30 less than in Johannesburg. However, this is still 0.3% or R13.52 more expensive than last month and R23.47 more than March 2024.

Meanwhile, Cape Town’s food basket increased to R5,305.31, reflecting a notable 2.8% annual increase and a 1.0% or R54.56 increase from the R5,250.75 recorded in February.

Despite the increases, Cape Town is R176.57 cheaper than Johannesburg and just R24.05 cheaper than the national average.