South Africans feel the pinch as essential costs take a bigger bite of incomes.
By the time the lights are kept on and the trip to work is paid for, many workers are left with just R1, 653.35 for food and everything else for the month.
Electricity and transport costs have swallowed R3,183.45 or 65.8% of a worker's wage in August, according to the latest household affordability from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD).
The figures show how little room households have left in their budgets, even when some food prices come down.
The average household food basket cost R5, 479.80 in August, while this was 0.9% cheaper than in July, it remained 1.8% higher than in 2025.
