Expensive December loading as beer, wine prices hit South Africans
While beer and wine prices remain high, spirits and liqueurs recorded the smallest annual increase in South Africa.
South African consumers face another unwelcome financial hurdle just before the expensive festive season, as the cost of celebratory beer and wine continues to rise faster than general inflation.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) for October 2025, prices in the alcoholic beverages category surged by 4.6% annually across all urban areas.
This increase – coupled with the high meat prices – is particularly painful for budget-conscious citizens, given that the overall annual CPI headline inflation rate for October 2025 stood lower at 3.6%. The alcoholic beverages and tobacco group, which has a significant weight (4.64) in the CPI, contributed 0.2 of a percentage point to the annual inflation rate recorded for October 2025.
Why beer, wine prices are hitting hardest
Breaking down the category, wine prices rose by 5.5% annually in October 2025 compared to October 2024. Meanwhile, beer prices saw a 4.6% annual jump across urban areas, recording a high monthly increase of 1.2% between September and October 2025.
Spirits and liqueurs recorded the smallest annual increase within the category, rising by 3.6%.
However, this price pressure is not distributed evenly across the country. Consumers in the North West province faced the steepest increases, with alcoholic beverages soaring by an alarming 7.8% annually.
Beer prices, in particular, spiked by a crippling 11.2% year-on-year in North West, coupled with a massive 6.6% monthly increase between September and October 2025 alone.
For the country as a whole, alcoholic beverages registered a 0.7% rise month-on-month between September and October 2025.