Cost of Living in South Africa
South African Cost of Living data

What does life cost where you live?

Compare local grocery, fuel, and restaurant prices in your town. Stop overpaying, see how prices are changing over time, and help your neighbors by adding real shelf prices when you shop.

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National snapshot

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R773.047 out of 15 basic essentials priced so far
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Everyday Cost of Living

Four things households feel every month

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Food & household

76 shopping prices

20 items · 7 retailers · 7/15 essentials

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Fuel & transport

1,592 fuel records

Official petrol and diesel history for travel and delivery costs.

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Eating out

19 restaurant prices
SPURKFC

2 menu items · 2 chains

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Housing

1 housing record

Median rent R9 350.00/month.

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South Africa by place

Explore prices by province

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Northern Cape — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!NCWestern Cape — 8 verified local pricesWCEastern Cape — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!ECFree State — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!FSNorth West — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!NWGauteng — 2 verified local pricesGPLimpopo — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!LPMpumalanga — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!MPKwaZulu-Natal — No prices added yet. Be the first to add one!KZNLesothoProvince boundaries use the supplied South Africa SVG; colours show current community data coverage.
39items tracked
35brands
1,687verified prices
17retailers
Price movement

What went up the most in the last 2 years

Bananas2025-01 → 2026-09+60.8%Cheddar2024-11 → 2026-09+51.3%Original SPUR Burger2024-09 → 2026-09+50.1%KFC Buckets2024-09 → 2026-09+35.0%Brown Sugar2024-06 → 2026-09+8.0%
Current comparison

Lowest prices spotted recently

Full Cream MilkCheckersR15.00/LWhite BreadSPARR27.13/kgBrown BreadSPARR27.13/kgWhite SugarSPARR23.50/kgNescafé RicoffySPARR238.65/kg
SA Cost of Living basket

SA Essential Grocery Basket

R773.047 out of 15 basic essentials priced so far — partial subtotal
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Latest data

Latest prices added by shoppers

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CheddarPick n Pay · 2026-09-25R139.99SPAR Pure Instant CoffeeSPAR · 2026-09-24R104.99SPAR Pure Instant CoffeeSPAR · 2026-09-24R104.99Corned MeatCheckers · 2026-09-24R36.99Corned MeatCheckers · 2026-09-24R34.99
More researchLong-term history, category movement and coverage detailOpen research
Long-term price clues

How tracked prices changed by decade

This early historical view includes fuel and balances the main categories. Limited decades are research clues, not Cost of Living headlines.

Latest reliable view · 2020s so far+33.6%12 commodities · 3 categoriesModerate coverage
Method: early-decade prices (first 3 years) versus late-decade prices (last 3 years). The 2020s bar is the decade so far.Largest adequately covered decade: 2020s so far +33.6%

This is a SA Price Tracker observational index, not the official Stats SA CPI or an official cost-of-living measure.

Coverage

Most tracked items

Original SPUR Burger11Corned Meat11Marmite Savoury Spread9KFC Buckets8Cheddar7
Category movement

What got more expensive over 2 years

Same comparison period for every category
CategoryItems comparedPrice change
Fruit, Vegetables & Salads1+60.8%
↳Fruit1+60.8%
Dairy1+51.3%
↳Cheese1+51.3%
Fast Foods & Restaurants2+42.5%
↳Burgers1+50.1%
↳Fried Chicken1+35.0%
Pantry / Food Cupboard1+8.0%
↳Sugar1+8.0%