The most expensive places to buy groceries in South Africa
Fuel prices aren't the only necessity causing stress right now. Here is a list of the cities where groceries will cost you extra.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, which tracks the cost of a household food basket across the three major provinces, have released the latest data on the most expensive groceries in the country.
The data is compiled based on “on-the-ground” pricing for products across a variety of retailers in major cities, which serve as proxies for the provinces.
The PMBEJD report found that while 18 of the 44 tracked food items became cheaper or saw no increases year-on-year, the other 26 experienced price hikes, with five items seeing double-digit inflation.
According to BusinessTech and the latest Stats SA data, South Africa’s consumer inflation has dipped to 3,5% in January 2026, down from the 3,6% recorded in December 2025.
The CPI also declined to 3% in February, driven by lower housing and utilities.
Food inflation, one of the biggest drivers of inflation, remained above the headline figure at 3,7%.
The Braai Index, compiled by BusinessTech, uses data to track the prices of items typically used for a braai and provides insight into inflation, and the latest one for March 2026 shows that year-on-year inflation for the braai basket is continuing to rise, despite month-on-month prices easing.
What does this all mean for national grocery prices?
The PMBEJD report has found that the average cost of a household food basket in South Africa, comprising 44 essential items that reflect typical purchasing patterns, reached R5,328.53.
The cost breakdown also shows that the changes in food pricing in some areas are more significant.
Here is the list of the most expensive cities for grocery shopping and the total amount for each city, according to the PMBEJD:
- Springbok, Northern Cape - R5,690.83
- Johannesburg, Gauteng - R5,585.67
- Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal - R5,312.73
- Durban, KwaZulu-Natal - R5,267.26
- Cape Town, Western Cape - R5,156.88
- Maritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal - R5,002.77
Other important insights:
- The household food basket cost in Springbok increased by R24,92 (0.4%) from 2025.
- The Springbok March basket decreased by R28.37 from February 2026, but is R362,30 above the national average.
- The Johannesburg March basket increased by R103,78 (1,8%) from 2025.
- The cheapest basket, Maritzburg, has seen a significant month-to-month decrease of R204,74.
- Cape Town has moved down and is now the second-cheapest city for groceries.
- The Cape Town basket has decreased by R148.43 (2.8%) from March 2025 and R75.94 (1,5%) from February 2026.
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