From 2011 to 2023 the cost of living in South Africa has nearly doubled. This was revealed in the Trend in the Cost of Living in South Africa report, released on Friday, 16 May 2025. Electricity increases and food inflation are shown to be hitting poor and working-class households the hardest.
A new report by the National Planning Commission (NPC) and Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) reveals a troubling trend: while cumulative headline inflation rose by 94.6% between 2011 and 2023, the cost of essentials surged at a much faster rate. Electricity prices tripled, education costs more than doubled, and food prices climbed by 136.1%, far outpacing the growth in wages for poorer households.
"This report is not just about graphs and figures, it's not only about the cost of living. It is about the cost of being human -- the cost of being a mother, a child, or a worker," said Professor Julian May, a commissioner from the University of the Western Cape.
May presented the findings to a room filled with officials from various government departments and civil society organisations on Friday, 16 May, highlighting both the improvements and challenges in addressing South Africa's cost-of-living crisis.
The report...
