As of July 2025, Johannesburg has emerged as the most expensive city for grocery shopping among South Africa’s three largest metros for the third consecutive month. It was followed by Cape Town and then Durban, according to the latest data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group.

The PMBEJD monitors the price of a household food basket across major urban centres, and their latest findings show that 30 out of the 44 tracked food items saw price increases over the past year. Fourteen items either decreased in price or remained unchanged, while 10 recorded double-digit inflation.

Inflation ticked up to 3.0% in June, rising from 2.8% in both April and May. Month-on-month, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 0.3%, largely due to rising costs in food and non-alcoholic beverages. Food price inflation in particular hit a 15-month high at 5.1% in June.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) attributes this uptick to climbing meat prices, particularly beef, which has seen steep increases across stewing beef, mince, and steak. Stewing beef, for instance, surged 21.2% year-on-year — the highest annual increase since the current CPI data series began in 2017.

The spike in beef prices has been linked to an ongoing outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease as well as elevated feed costs, both of which have constrained supply and pushed up prices.

Beyond meat, several processed food categories also experienced notable hikes. Annual inflation for vegetables and for fruits and nuts remained in double digits for the second month running. Items like carrots, lettuce, and beetroot saw especially sharp rises over the year. On the other hand, prices for some staple items — including white rice, hot cereals, and cold cereals — showed signs of easing.

Groceries cost most in Joburg

At the end of July 2025, the average cost of a household food basket — which includes 44 commonly bought items — stood at R5,442.72 nationwide. This represents a 3.6% annual increase (R190.57) compared to July 2024. On a monthly basis, however, the price saw a marginal drop of R0.41 compared to June 2025.

Despite the small month-to-month dip, the yearly increase outpaced the national inflation rate of 3.0%, underlining the persistent pressure food prices are putting on urban households.

Johannesburg led the country in food basket costs, with an average of R5,656.43 in July — R213.71 more than the national average. This marked a 2.2% annual increase (R122.94) and a modest R7.58 rise from June’s R5,648.85. The trend reflects a steady upward movement in food prices in Gauteng’s economic hub.

Durban, by contrast, remained the most affordable city for groceries among the three metros. Its average basket cost was R5,358.09 in July, up 0.9% (R45.87) from June’s R5,312.22. Year-on-year, prices in Durban increased by 2.8%, or R145.54 — still R298.34 less than Johannesburg.

Cape Town, meanwhile, recorded the highest annual increase among the three cities, despite a slight monthly decrease. The average household food basket in Cape Town cost R5,371.35 in July, down R25.88 (0.5%) from June. However, compared to July 2024, this marks a significant increase of 6.7% (R338.30). Despite this, Cape Town remained more affordable than Johannesburg by R285.08, and R71.37 below the national average.

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