This province has the cheapest food in South Africa, but nobody has a job to buy it
In September 2025, the South African Human Rights Commission warned that the malnutrition crisis in this province qualifies as a ‘disaster’.
In a cruel economic twist, the latest data from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reveals that while the Eastern Cape enjoys the most affordable food prices in the country, its residents are the least likely to have a paycheck to afford them.
According to the January 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Eastern Cape recorded the lowest food and non-alcoholic beverage costs in the South Africa, with an index value of 101,4. The province’s annual food inflation sits at a modest 1.3%, a stark contrast to the national urban average of 4.4%.
However, being the “cheapest” province is a cold comfort for a population trapped in what has been described as a “jobs bloodbath”. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q4: 2025 confirms the Eastern Cape remains the primary anchor weighing down South Africa’s recovery.
Eastern Cape unemployment: A crisis
The Eastern Cape’s official unemployment rate has spiralled to 42.5%, the highest in South Africa. Even more devastating is the expanded unemployment rate – which includes discouraged work-seekers – now sitting at 51.4%. This means more than half of the Eastern Cape’s potential workforce is sitting idle.
| Province | Official Unemployment Rate (Q4: 2025) | Food CPI Index (Jan 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 42.5% | 101.4 |
| Free State | 37.2% | 103.1 |
| North West | 35.1% | 105.3 |
| Gauteng | 33.0% | 105.9 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 32.3% | 102.8 |
| Mpumalanga | 32.3% | 104.5 |
| Limpopo | 28.2% | 106.3 |
| Northern Cape | 27.1% | 105.6 |
| Western Cape | 18.1% | 104.7 |
Sources: Stats SA QLFS Q4: 2025 and CPI January 2026
‘You cannot eat policies’
The economic disconnect has real-world consequences. Last Septmber, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has warned that the malnutrition crisis in the Eastern Cape qualifies as a “disaster”.
Despite low food costs, one in four children (25%) in the province are stunted due to chronic hunger. In 2023, desperate families were found eating grass to survive, while some mothers had been driven to the ultimate tragedy – murder-suicide- out of despondency over starving children.
The SAHRC’s Eileen Carter noted that “the numbers don’t lie,” adding a poignant reminder that “you cannot eat policies”. While Eastern Cape has the highest number of child support grant recipients at 1.8 million, the grants fail to keep up with the actual cost of living.