The most expensive province in South Africa to buy groceries
As of the end of November 2025, Johannesburg in Gauteng is firmly the most expensive city among South Africa’s three major metros for groceries for seven consecutive months, followed by Durban and then Cape Town.
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 18 of the 44 tracked food items became cheaper or saw no increases year-on-year, 26 experienced price hikes, with eight items seeing double-digit inflation.
Annual consumer inflation edged higher to 3.6% in October, up from 3.4% in September, in line with market expectations.
This is the highest inflation print since September 2024, when the rate was 3.8%. The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.1% month-on-month in October 2025.
Annual inflation for food and NAB weakened to 3.9% from 4.5% in September.
Several food and NAB categories witnessed a slowdown, including vegetables; fruits and nuts; cold and hot beverages; sugar, confectionery and desserts; and meat.
Categories that recorded faster price growth include cereal products; fish and other seafood; oils and fats; milk, other dairy products and eggs; and the miscellaneous group ‘other food’.
Meat inflation retreated from its highest level in almost eight years, moderating to 11.4% from 11.7% in September.
Despite the lower reading, several meat products remain in double-digit territory, including stewing beef (30.9%), beef steak (27.9%), beef mince (27.1%), sausages (17.3%), boerewors (15.6%) and mutton (13.4%).
Inflation for sugar, confectionery and desserts slowed to 3.5%, the lowest since March 2022 (3.4%). White and brown sugar, jam, peanut butter, and chocolate recorded lower rates.
The annual rate for cereal products rose to 2.0% from 1.6% in September. Samp and maize meal recorded double-digit inflation in October, with maize meal reaching a four-month high at 10.7%.
Several products are now less expensive than they were a year ago, including white rice, brown bread, hot cereals, and instant noodles.
Although it is in deflationary territory, the milk, other dairy products and eggs category witnessed a rise from -1.6% in September to -1.5% in October.
A range of products carry a cheaper price tag than they did in the same month last year, including eggs, maize-based food drinks and several varieties of milk.
Most expensive city for groceries
As of the end of November 2025, the average cost of a household food basket in South Africa, comprising 44 essential items that reflect typical purchasing patterns, reached R5,413.53.
This is a 1.0% annual increase of R52.49 compared to November 2024. Month-on-month, the basket price decreased by R27.07 compared to October 2025.
However, a breakdown of costs in each city reveals that the change in food prices varies significantly from one area to another.
In November 2025, the household food basket cost R5,604.49 in Johannesburg, a 0.9% increase of R48.06 from the previous year. This is also R67.24 more than the basket price of R5,671.73 in October.
Joburg’s basket price surpassed the national average by R190.96, making Johannesburg the most expensive metro for groceries.
In comparison, Cape Town surpassed Durban as the most affordable city for groceries, although it still experienced an annual increase.
Cape Town’s food basket, recorded at R5,349.17, increased by R88.74 (1.7%) from R5,260.43 in November 2024.
Month-on-month, however, the city saw a decrease of 0.4%, or R23.11, from R5,372.28 in October 2025. Despite the minor decline, it is still R255.32 less expensive than Johannesburg.
Durban’s food basket decreased by R36.21 (0.7%) from R5,341.95 in October 2025 to R5,305.74 in November 2025.
Additionally, year-on-year, the Durban household food basket cost decreased by only R0.64, from R5,306.38 in November 2024 to R5,305.74 in November 2025.
Food basket comparison between the three major cities
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