THE SOUTH AFRICAN
REALITY INDEX
What things actually cost in rands, right now. No spin. No jargon. Just the numbers that matter.
Lived costs are +7.9% this month — 2.6× the official CPI of 3.1%.
A budget-weighted blend of every index below. The gap is the bit the headline number doesn’t tell you.
Live Indexes
May 2026Total cost of a standard braai for 10 people: 2 kg boerewors, 1 kg chops, 3 kg chicken pieces, rolls, coals, and 24 beers.
Recommended retail price per litre for 95 ULP in Gauteng (inland). Set monthly by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Chankura essentials basket for a household of 4: bread, milk, eggs, rice, cooking oil, vegetables, chicken, and hygiene staples.
Estimated monthly cost of Stage 4 load shedding for an average household: generator fuel, food spoilage, and lost productivity (WFH).
Median asking rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in a safe Cape Town suburb (Southern Suburbs, Atlantic Seaboard, or City Bowl).
Average minibus taxi fare for a standard route to the Johannesburg CBD (15–25 km). Excludes transfer fares.
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