Marketing Expert Breaks Down Most Expensive Places To Buy Groceries in SA

• Marketing expert Hamzeh Majiet shared a video revealing which South African province has the most expensive grocery basket
• Springbok in the Northern Cape topped the list, with a household food basket reaching R6,109.75 as of July 2026
• While food inflation appears to be cooling nationally, the data shows stark regional differences hitting consumers unevenly

Marketing expert Hamzeh Majiet took to Instagram on 26 August 2026 to break down where South Africans are paying the most for groceries. His video, captioned “South Africa’s most expensive grocery region revealed,” drew attention to sharp regional differences hiding behind a seemingly stable national inflation figure.

Majiet’s breakdown, sourced from a BusinessTech report based on data from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group, placed Springbok in the Northern Cape at the top of the list. As of July 2026, a household food basket there costs R6,109.75, reflecting a 6.5% year-on-year increase that far outpaces the national average.

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SA’s most and least expensive cities for food

Johannesburg came in second at R5,763.70 per basket, with Mthatha close behind at R5,669.87. The national average currently sits at R5,530.52, up 1.6% year-on-year.

At the other end of the scale, Pietermaritzburg remains the most affordable city for groceries, with a basket costing R5,173.57. Durban and Cape Town both recorded slight year-on-year declines, offering some relief to shoppers in those areas.

Food inflation cooling, but not evenly

Nationally, the picture looks encouraging on the surface. According to the report, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped to 4.3% in July, and food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation hit just 0.9%, the lowest level in 16 years. Falling prices for staples such as maize meal, bread, and beef drove much of that relief.

However, Majiet flagged that the easing is uneven. Processed meats are climbing sharply, with corned meat up 11.8%, meat patties up 7.8%, and sausages up 6.2%. Oils, dairy, fish, and fresh produce are also continuing to trend upward.

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See the breakdown on Instagram below:

3 more articles about SA food prices

• The government has sacrificed a large chunk of the fuel levy to provide peace of mind to consumers.
• South Africans may soon pay more for braai essentials after a new index showed food prices increased again during May 2026.
• A woman posted about Woolworths' ready-made meals that they recently released for the festive season at a luxury level.

Source: Briefly News