{"id":12541,"date":"2025-06-30T20:31:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T18:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=12541"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:23:31","slug":"most-expensive-province-for-groceries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/most-expensive-province-for-groceries\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Expensive Province for Groceries in South Africa (2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Johannesburg Tops the List Again as Grocery Prices Soar Beyond National Averages<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most Expensive Province for Groceries<\/strong>
Johannesburg holds onto the crown, but not the kind you want to wear.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a time when every rand counts, Johannesburg remains the most expensive metro in South Africa for groceries in 2025. According to the latest Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) report, a standard household food basket in Joburg now costs a whopping R5,648.85, R205.73 more than the national average and up 2.0% from the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes the City of Gold increasingly unaffordable for average South Africans trying to stretch their food budgets. While other cities like Cape Town and Durban are also experiencing inflation, Joburg continues to outpace them in price hikes, driven by rising meat costs, cereal inflation, and a surge in cooking oil prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ: <\/strong>SPAR\u2019s Ambitious Plan: Launching 40 High-End Grocery Stores Across South Africa<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Prices Continue Their Climb<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The PMBEJD tracks the prices of 44 essential food items across major metros. In June 2025, 34 of these items saw price increases, with seven showing double-digit inflation. Just 10 items became cheaper or remained stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the major culprits behind the inflation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Beef products<\/strong> are the biggest offenders. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and rising feed prices have driven meat inflation from 3.0% in April<\/strong> to 4.4% in May<\/strong>.\n
      \n
    • Beef steak<\/strong> rose by 4.5%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Stewing beef<\/strong> by 2.5%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Beef mince<\/strong> by 1.7%<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Cereal products<\/strong> such as maize meal (14.2%)<\/strong> and samp (20.6%)<\/strong> are seeing double-digit inflation rates, making daily staples unaffordable for many.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Oils and fats<\/strong> like sunflower oil and brick margarine saw annual increases of 7.6%<\/strong> and 7.9%<\/strong>, respectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The cost of fish and seafood<\/strong> also climbed, with hake<\/strong> up 9.1%<\/strong> and fish fingers<\/strong> up 6.1%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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