Although meat prices decreased, some meat products still cost a lot more. The most shocking was the price of books that increased by 59.4%.
When inflation hit a low of 2.8% a few months ago, economists predicted it would start drifting higher again, and they were right as inflation increased in October for the second consecutive month.
According to Statistics SA, annual consumer inflation increased to 3.6% in October from 3.4% in September. This is the highest inflation print since September 2024, when the inflation rate was 3.8%. The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.1% month-on-month in October 2025.
This chart shows the trajectory of the inflation rate since 2009:
What contributed to the increase?
The increase was mainly due to increases in the transport, recreation, sport and culture, and alcoholic beverages and tobacco categories. However, inflation also decreased across several categories, most notably restaurants, accommodation services, and food and non-alcoholic beverages.
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Annual inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages NAB weakened to 3.9% from 4.5% in September. Several food and non-alcoholic beverages categories witnessed a slowdown, including vegetables, fruits and nuts, cold and hot beverages, sugar, confectionery and desserts and meat.
Categories that recorded faster price growth include cereal products, fish and other seafood, oils and fats, milk, other dairy products and eggs and the miscellaneous group ‘other food’.
Statistics SA says meat inflation retreated from its highest level in almost eight years, moderating to 11.4% from 11.7% in September.
However, despite the lower reading, several meat products remain in double-digit territory, including stewing beef (30.9%), beef steak (27.9%), beef mince (27.1%), sausages (17.3%), boerewors (15.6%) and mutton (13.4%).
But Statistics SA says it was not all bad news on the meat front. Corned meat, fresh whole chicken and bacon are cheaper than a year ago. The average price for 200 grams of bacon, for example, decreased from R41,25 to R41,11 over this period.
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Good inflation news for consumers with a sweet tooth
Inflation for sugar, confectionery and desserts slowed to 3.5%, the lowest since March 2022, when it was 3.4%. White and brown sugar, jam, peanut butter and chocolate all recorded lower rates.
Hot beverage inflation dipped to 8.8%, its weakest level since August 2023, when it was 6.3%. In October, softer rates were recorded for black tea (5.1%), rooibos tea (1.6%) and cappuccino sachets (1.4%).
Statistics SA says the annual rate for cereal products increased to 2.0% from 1.6% in September. Samp and maize meal recorded double-digit inflation in October, with maize meal reaching a four-month high at 10.7%.
Several products cost less than a year ago, including white rice, brown bread, hot cereals and instant noodles.
Although it is in deflationary territory, the milk, other dairy products, and eggs category rose from -1.6% in September to -1.5% in October.
A range of products carried a cheaper price tag in October than in October last year, including eggs, maize-based food drinks and several varieties of milk.
This graph shows the food and beverage products that recorded the sharpest price increases and decreases in October:
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Other notable inflation changes
The annual rate for transport turned positive after 13 months of deflation, increasing from ‑0.1% in September to 1.5% in October.
Fuel prices increased by 0.1% between September and October, with diesel decreasing by 0.7% and petrol increasing by 0.2%.
Statistics SA says this took the annual rate for fuel to 3.3%, the first positive reading since August 2024.
The index for recreation, sport and culture increased to 3.4% from 2.9% in September. The top 10 books sold across several retailers recorded an annual inflation rate of 59.4%.
The price of movie tickets increased by 15.8% and gym fees by 10.5% in the 12 months to October. However, ticket prices for sporting events decreased by 12.6% over the same period.
Statistics SA also publishes inflation rates for each province and for different expenditure bands.
The province with the highest inflation rate in October was North West at 4.3%, while the lowest was the Eastern Cape at 3.1%. While the poorest typically experience higher inflation rates, in October, the richest South Africans recorded the highest inflation rate at 3.9%.