I was going to say I don’t understand what people could be eating that would make them feel like food costs are a bigger strain than housing costs, but based on the sample size and age target I wonder how much of this is skewed by younger people living with parents, dorms, etc. Rents all over my state have doubled in the past few years. Food had definitely gone up by a few dollars here and there, but none of my regular groceries have doubled in price.
It’s also probably people who’ve lived with crushing rent burdens for so long that they feel like a background aspect of life, not something that can be changed.
Also it is literally culturally accepted that rent will go up every year. I’ve only heard stories about somebody’s rent going down, but never known a single person who has paid less in rent going into a new lease on the same space
I think it varies from place to place too. Groceries have skyrocketed here while rent has risen, but not as sharply. Cost of living here has always been relatively low compared to elsewhere in the country.
Not dragging you on this, but maybe you just haven’t noticed the creep plus where you live could make a difference. I never paid more than a dollar for a box of pasta in my life even after I moved to NYC. Then in the past few years no matter how much I shopped around, not a single box was under $2 unless it was on sale. It’s things like that which crush people the most, the cheap ingredients people use all of the time. Pastas, soups, eggs, butter, chicken, fresh vegetables, etc have all shot up in price in my area
I was going to say I don’t understand what people could be eating that would make them feel like food costs are a bigger strain than housing costs, but based on the sample size and age target I wonder how much of this is skewed by younger people living with parents, dorms, etc. Rents all over my state have doubled in the past few years. Food had definitely gone up by a few dollars here and there, but none of my regular groceries have doubled in price.
It’s also probably people who’ve lived with crushing rent burdens for so long that they feel like a background aspect of life, not something that can be changed.
Also it is literally culturally accepted that rent will go up every year. I’ve only heard stories about somebody’s rent going down, but never known a single person who has paid less in rent going into a new lease on the same space
Yeah I think you’re right. My food bill is up around 50% but it’s still less than half of housing.
I think it varies from place to place too. Groceries have skyrocketed here while rent has risen, but not as sharply. Cost of living here has always been relatively low compared to elsewhere in the country.
Not dragging you on this, but maybe you just haven’t noticed the creep plus where you live could make a difference. I never paid more than a dollar for a box of pasta in my life even after I moved to NYC. Then in the past few years no matter how much I shopped around, not a single box was under $2 unless it was on sale. It’s things like that which crush people the most, the cheap ingredients people use all of the time. Pastas, soups, eggs, butter, chicken, fresh vegetables, etc have all shot up in price in my area