Many South Africans can't afford to eat.
Image: Mart Production | Pexels
South African households are still unable to afford basic food, with low-income earners falling significantly short of covering essential costs.
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s (PEJDG) March Household Affordability Index shows the average cost of a basic food basket at R5,328.53, marginally above the national minimum wage of R5,320.48.
This leaves households underspending on food by 35.1%, highlighting the scale of the affordability gap.
In practice, this means food is often bought last, after fixed costs such as transport and electricity have been covered.
The group’s data shows that core staple foods – those prioritised and bought first – account for 53% of the total household food basket. “At an average cost of R2,816 in March 2026, these foods are relatively very expensive in relation to the total money available in the household purse to secure food,” said the group.
While the cost of these core foods declined by 3.7% year-on-year, they remain non-negotiable expenses, limiting households’ ability to diversify spending.
As a result, families are increasingly forced to cut back on more nutritious items such as meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables in order to afford basic staples.
“The cost of the foods prioritised and bought first in the Household Food Basket is important. The core foods are bought first, and these foods ensure that families do not go hungry whilst ensuring that meals can be cooked” says the group.
PEJDG adds “when the prices of core foods increase, there is less money to secure other important mostly nutritionally rich foods, which are essential for health and well-being and strong immune systems”.
This dynamic is reinforced by broader structural cost pressures.
The Competition Commission said in its latest Cost of Living report that “many essentials remain expensive even as inflation eases”.
The report highlights steep increases in administered prices, with electricity costs rising by about 85% and water by around 68% since 2020, well above the roughly 30% increase in overall inflation over the same period.
Healthcare and education costs have also continued to rise above headline inflation, further eroding household purchasing power.
“Addressing the cost of living requires greater scrutiny of administered price-setting mechanisms, enhanced transparency and accountability in tariff determinations and targeted protection for vulnerable households” said Commissioner Doris Tshepe.
“Without deliberate attention to how essential service prices are formed and transmitted through the economy, cost pressures are likely to remain entrenched, limiting gains in household welfare and slowing broader economic recovery.”
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