South Africa: Food prices in Joburg vs Cape Town vs Durban
South Africa
Published Oct 5, 2021
Tridge summary
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity group (PMBEJD) has published its September report on South Africa’s poverty lines, showing how the prices of core foods differ across the country’s major cities. The comparison tracks 17 core foods found in the shopping baskets of low-income households in South Africa, taken from the shelves of 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Joburg, Cape Town and Durban. Stores in the Northern Cape and Pietermaritzburg were also tracked.
Original content
The data shows that the average cost of the household food basket in September 2021 was R4,219.48. This is up by R361.14 (9.4%), from R3,856.34 a year ago (September 2020). This total basket is well beyond the affordability thresholds of families living on low incomes, the group said, noting that the National Minimum Wage for this same period was R3,643.92. While basket prices for Joburg, Durban and Pietermaritzburg declined slightly in September 2021, those in Cape Town and Springbok increased marginally, the PMBEJD said. “On the average household food basket for all areas, marginal increases are shown on rice, samp, potatoes, chicken and beef offal, fish, butternut, spinach, pilchards, apples, oranges and polony.” The group said that the cost of the core foods prioritised and bought first by a household remains a concern. “Year-on-year, this basket of 17 foods, which should ordinarily be affordable and found in everyone’s home and which includes maise meal, rice, flour, sugar, ...
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