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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFood inflation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Annual food and NAD inflation dropped from 9.9% in July to 8.0%. Besides fruit, all food and NAB categories recorded lower annual rates in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bread and cereal category also saw a decline from 13.1% in July to 9.90% in August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Several products were cheaper in August compared with July, including white bread, brown bread, maize meal and cereals. Rice put a damper on the party, however, with prices jumping by 3,4% month-on-month,” Stats SA said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n General meat inflation also declined from 5.1% in July to 3.6% in August, and, besides chicken giblets and beef extract, the prices for most beef and chicken products dropped. The price index for meat was also 0.7% lower in August compared to July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The milk, eggs and cheese category also saw a decline, with the annual rate easing from 14.4% in July to 11,9%. Several products, including fresh full-cream milk, eggs and cheddar cheese, saw price increases, however, condensed milk and custard prices grew. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite cooling from July’s print of 18.7%, sugar, sweets, and desserts had the highest annual inflation rate of all food and NAB categories at 18.5% in August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although jams and chocolate slabs were cheaper in August, prices for brown sugar, white sugar and ice cream continued to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The annual inflation for alcoholic beverages also declined from 7.8% in July to 6.9% in August. Beer prices and wine prices also subsided by 0.8% and 0.3% from July to August, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Municipal rates <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stats SA surveys municipal rates in July and August, with the August data concluding the 2023 survey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Electricity tariffs grew by 15.3% in 2023, far higher than the 7.9% rise in 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Households paid 9,6% more for water in 2023 after bearing the brunt of an 8,1% rise the year before. Property rates were up by 8,4% following a 4,3% increase in 2022,” Stats SA added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Residents in the Western Cape saw the largest increases in both electricity tariffs (up 17.0%) and property rates (up 11.0%) in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Residents in KwaZulu-Natal, however, saw the biggest increases for water (up 14.2%), followed by Gauteng (up 10.0%).<\/p>\n\n\n Other big price changes <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fuel prices also jumped by 2.2% between July and August, which lifted the annual rate from -16.8% in July to -11.7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Restaurants and hotels saw the second-highest annual inflation rate after food and NAB, with restaurant inflation jumping from 6.5% in July to 6.7% in August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meat-based products saw prices increase by 2.9% between July and August, which caused an annual change of 9.8%. Hamburger prices also jumped by 1.2% from July to August, with the annual rate increasing to 6.6%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Annual inflation for hotel rooms also increased by 2.3% to 5.9% in August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The graphs below show the products that recorded the biggest price increases in August.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n