JOHANNESBURG - As South Africans grapple with rising living costs, finding the most affordable grocery retailer has become important.
Recently eNCA compared a basket of eight products, the prices of which were published online by Checkers, Spar and Woolworths.
The results were as follows:
| Item | Checkers | Woolworths | Spar |
| Brown Bread | R17,99 | R19,99 | R16,19 |
| Sunflower oil | R58,48 | R74,99 | R58,49 |
| Maize meal | R39,99 | R41.99 | R36,99 |
| White Sugar | R69,99 | R64,99 | R64,99 |
| Milk | R39,99 | R38,99 | R32,99 |
| Rice | R48,99 | R46,99 | R49,99 |
| Eggs | R65,99 | R84,99 | R69,99 |
| Peanut butter | R54,99 | R49,99 | R54,99 |
| Total | R412,92 | R427,92 | R384,62 |
Prices varied depending on where you live. No name brands were also cheaper.
Lisette Ijssel de Schepper, chief economist at the Bureau for Economic Research at Stellenbosch University, said: "A problem is that wages haven’t kept up with inflation, so at the end of the day, you have less purchasing power, and you are only able to buy fewer goods and services with your salary."
Looking ahead, IJssel de Schepper said food prices would continue to rise although at a slower rate than in the last year.
"We could be looking at an interest rate cut in September, which will help us to pay slightly less at the end of the month," she said. "Hopefully, we can see fuel prices decline as well."
While Spar currently remains the most affordable on this basket of goods, consumers would compare prices on an ongoing basis.
By Tshenolo Khaile