'What did I buy?': How inflation hits the pockets of New Yorkers

In the US, everything has risen in price: prices have risen for food, rental housing, gasoline. Don't Americans even go to restaurants now? Bureau project I decided to find out how much it costs to live in New York now. The journalists of the project took everything apart, talked to the people of New York, found out how much groceries actually cost now, and in general, how much the cost of living in the metropolis has risen.

Let's start with the most important thing - food prices, after all, nowhere without food. New York, Midtown Manhattan, 42nd Street is a typical supermarket. What's going on with prices right now?

Here you can get both organic and plain eggs, the most common now cost $4,99 a dozen. Milk, the simplest 2% almost 2 liters - $1,99. Cheddar cheese, a 200-gram piece, costs $5,7. Standard bacon, small pack, $8

Back in June, it became known that food prices in New York rose by an average of 10-12%. In some supermarkets, managers raised the prices of goods by 17%. Of course, all this indicates very high inflation rates.

Renting an apartment in New York has also become more expensive. According to the latest research from Street Easy, the average cost of housing in Manhattan is $4100 (a 22% increase). Residents of Manhattan spend 55% of their income on rent.

In Queens, on average, you can rent an apartment for $2600 (13% increase). In this area, people spend an average of 43% of their income on rent.

Brooklyn - The median rental price is $3200 (12% increase). Here, residents spend 60% of their income on renting an apartment.

One of the most inexpensive areas in New York is Staten Island, but even here the cost of renting apartments has increased. So, according to open statistics, this year the cost of renting one-room apartments here has increased by 3%. Now, for example, to rent a one-bedroom apartment here, on average, you need to pay $1550 per month. Of course, this is not Brooklyn or Manhattan, all the same, a sleeping area, but even here prices are still rising.

What New Yorkers are lucky with is paying some utilities. For example, tenants do not have to pay for hot water here. This utility service is already included in the rental price of the apartment.

New Yorker Elliot Groman rents an apartment in Brooklyn - 6 rooms for a family of 4 people. Rent costs $7000 per month.

“This is a private apartment, if its owner wants to raise the cost of rent, he can do it. But I have invested a lot in this apartment, and it suits him. Therefore, in the last 2 years, no one has raised the rent, ”says Elliot, a businessman from Brooklyn.

But with the prices of products, the situation is completely different - here the landlord certainly will not help.

“We spend about $150 a week on food. It has become more. But I think it's everywhere, though I can't say for sure. But I know for sure that there are more everywhere, ”Groman emphasized.

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In general, Elliot Groman is a businessman, the owner of a children's camp for beginner surfers. He earns about $20000 a month, but inflation forced him to raise prices.

“Last year there were 260 people in the camp, and this year there are 165,” Elliot said.

Fitness trainer Yuri Lemenev also works for himself. An hour of classes with him costs $70. Recently, Yuri has increasingly been training Brooklyn residents at a discount - remotely. This helps save money for both clients and the athlete.

“The family is big, 2 children, plus a big dog. When I used to go to the store and look at the products, I didn’t pay much attention to the prices. And today, when you receive a large check with a serious amount at the checkout, you start looking, but what did I buy? Why was this not noticed before, but now it hits the family budget very hard, ”says Yuri.

Yuri's family, like many Americans, has two cars. Since the beginning of summer, the wife's car has been in the garage.

“We used to use two cars, but now you think: so, you stay at home, then I will pick you up, we will go in one car. All this affects the quality of life. You are already starting to look at a smaller car, both electric and semi-electric,” Lemenev said.

At the same time, gasoline in the United States began to become cheaper. In Brooklyn, a gallon of fuel (about 4 liters) no longer costs more than $5.

Owning a car in New York is also getting more expensive. First of all, it is difficult to find a parking space. Therefore, sometimes this place has to be rented. In Manhattan, a parking space in a garage can cost up to $900. In Brooklyn, of course, it’s cheaper, but here, too, the prices bite - you will have to pay an average of $ 250 for a covered place for your car, in some areas - up to $ 500.

“Inflation itself, it comes from two sources. One is when people have too much money and are not afraid to spend it. The second is an increase in prices for something that increases prices everywhere. In this case, we are talking about the price of gasoline, which increases the price of all products, many of the services that we receive. This is due to the fact that, in fact, oil, not that there has been more, it has never been scarce, it’s just that people have calmed down, as it were, that due to the Russian war there will suddenly be no oil. We now understand that it will be enough, and even more than that,” said Mikhail Pechersky, an economist.

Spouses Virchenko - an example of a classic family with an average income, live in Brooklyn. Vadim is an accountant, Albina is a future nurse, she has already graduated from college and will soon go to work in a hospital. The couple have two sons.

“We used to spend about $100-150 per week, but now it's $250-300. The most expensive now is fish, meat, dairy products,” says Vadim.

Three years ago, the couple bought a two-bedroom apartment with a mortgage and pay $1300 a month. The mortgage rate has remained the same, but for home maintenance every month you have to pay $ 80 more.

“In a month, not including expenses for children (kindergarten, school), the costs are about $4000. For everything together, you have to pay $ 4500-5000. Plus, the children are still in the camp,” said Vadim.

Spouses, in connection with the increase in the cost of living, began to save a little.

“I started doing my own manicure, I don’t go to the salon. My husband cut my hair recently, ”Albina emphasized.

“The American economy is strong enough. It is independent of the economies of other countries, or rather much less dependent than other countries. The American dollar is not going anywhere. We have much better prospects - there is a product that Europeans will buy 100% - this is liquefied gas. If they are afraid to depend on Russia, they are not afraid to depend on the United States,” says Pechersky.

Living in the USA has really become more expensive, you can’t argue with that. Well, at least in New York for sure. But, it is worth noting that this is a global trend. In Europe, too, high inflation rates, so there is no need to say that, in the United States of America, it's really bad.