PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The latest Consumer Price Index shows food and energy costs are climbing as gas prices lead monthly increases nationwide and Phoenix shoppers are feeling the pinch.
“Everything is more expensive,” said Kyle Evans. “Cost of food is going up and living too,” said William Bogart.
The latest Consumer Price Index shows that groceries saw a 2.7% increase in September versus this time last year. Nonalcoholic beverages were up 5.3%. Ground beef and steaks were around 12%.
“It’s just the nickel and dime stuff that, like, why does it have to be twice as much for groceries as it used to?” said Evans.
WalletHub also ranks inflation in Phoenix as the 12th-worst metro area in the nation.
As for gas, it’s also up according to AAA. Arizona gas is about 7 cents more expensive per gallon than this time last year. It’s also higher than the national average. Arizona’s average gas is $3.35, while the national average is $3.06.
These price increases are taking a toll on shoppers like Bogart. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” he said.
Evans said what frustrates him is that wages aren’t following the increasing trend. “I’m not making any more. My salary stays the same, yet injustice is being done,” he said.
Bogart said he’s tired of political games and hopes someone in power hears the pleas of ordinary people. “We have to talk to somebody to make it cheaper for us to live,” he said.
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