Inflation is happening nationwide but experts in San Antonio say families in the Alamo City are being hit harder by the 3% inflation rate.
According to new data recently released by Harvard University, 53% of families who rent in San Antonio are cost-burdened. That means more than 30% of the household income is spent on housing costs and other necessities.
“The perfect example is what I’m going through right now, I am literally moving out of my apartment right now and moving back home to live at home because I can’t make ends meet,” said one woman who did not want to be identified.
Chair of the Economics and Management Department at the University of the Incarnate Word, Taylor Collins said although inflation is rising about the same nationwide, it’s affecting more families in San Antonio.
“Since we have a lot of people who are already living kind of at that edge where they’re, you know, economically burdened, living from paycheck to paycheck, the inflation that we’ve experienced here has been much more severe than the inflation that the national media is communicating is happening everywhere,” said Collins.
Chair of the Economics Department at Trinity University, David Macpherson said to make things worse, people in San Antonio are also seeing some higher price hikes in bare necessities.
“In particular, San Antonio, the state of Texas, has had higher food inflation than the rest of the country,” said Macpherson.
Even with her difficult economic situation, the unidentified woman said she hasn’t found relief or help, no matter where she’s looked.
“Nobody is helping us and then you don’t qualify for food stamps or anything like that because you make too much,” said the woman.