"Tough Times": South Africans Reveal What They're Cutting Back on as Fuel Prices Keep Rising

• A Reddit discussion sparked by South Africa's latest fuel price increase showed just how much ordinary people are adjusting their daily lives
• Commuters, car owners and even those without vehicles shared the sacrifices they are making to cope with the rising cost of living
• From ditching red meat to swapping cars for scooters, South Africans revealed the lengths they are going to stretch every rand

South Africans are rethinking how they get around, what they eat, and where they spend their money as fuel prices continue to climb. A Reddit thread posted on 8 October 2026 asked a simple but pointed question: at what point does the fuel price become high enough that you start changing your lifestyle?

The post noted that even people without cars feel the pressure. Transport costs rise, delivery fees go up, and the price of food and groceries climbs because almost everything relies on road freight at some point.

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The responses painted a picture of a public quietly but seriously adjusting their habits. Several users said they had turned to cycling or public transport. One commuter described living 7.5 km from work, with most of the route on a corrugated gravel road, and said the kidney pain from cycling had once forced them to stop. Now, a decade later, they were seriously reconsidering getting back on the bike.

Another user said they had already made the switch, taking the bus when a lift club was not available and using a mountain bike for local errands. Others found a middle ground, using a scooter on dry days at around R150 for a full week of fuel, and only taking the car out when it rained.

Beyond transport, South Africans described trimming spending in almost every direction under the post by user Trick_Revolution_642. One commenter said they had swapped their car for a BYD electric vehicle, citing no petrol cost and solar charging at home. They also spoke about eating less red meat, cutting back on alcohol, going out less often, and learning new potato recipes to keep food costs down. The same user urged others to support local and independent businesses, worried about small enterprises collapsing under the weight of reduced consumer spending. Another offered a more tongue-in-cheek solution, considering letting their back garden grow wild to avoid buying petrol for the lawnmower. Read the full Reddit discussion here.

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Mzansi shares how they're coping

South Africans in the Reddit thread were candid about the real pressure they were facing:

u/Legitimate_Field_157 wrote:

"I am considering letting the back garden go back to nature so that I do not have to buy petrol for the lawnmower."

u/RisenApe12 said:

"I'm poor and have reached that point now. Taking the bus to work if I can't join a lift club. Then, my mountain bike to the shops for local trips. Will have to fire my butler too."

u/Baked_Bean_422 shared:

"I have a scooter for the dry days - R150 petrol for a week's worth of driving. When it rains, I'll take the car."

u/Miserable-Tadpole-90 wrote:

"Almost a decade later I'm about ready to say bye to my kidneys and just start doing that again to save on fuel."

u/woxy07 added:

"Tough times. Other than that, I shop specials, eat a lotta chicken and a lot less red meat, drink less alcohol, go out less, and learned a lot of good potato recipes. Hope the rest of you are coping!"

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Other Briefly News stories about cost-of-living thresholds

• Social media users engaged in a heated debate over the escalating cost of living in Cape Town compared to other South African cities.
• A viral debate erupted after a man questioned whether a gross monthly income of R100,000 is sufficient to maintain a decent lifestyle for a family of four in South Africa.
• Economic studies and news reports highlighted that a South African family requires a minimum net household income of around R20,000 per month just to cover essential living costs.

Source: Briefly News