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Making ends meet in San Diego has never been easy.
Inflation is at levels nationwide not seen in a generation, and sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have pushed already high gas prices even higher, but those effects only add to the pressures already bearing down on households.
We spoke to four families who agreed to breakdown their monthly spending to get a picture of how they’re making it work.
We’ve also combed through energy and water bills to see the policy decisions behind the fees on them, investigated how the single largest cost most families face (housing) ends up increasing the price of the second-largest item (transportation), looked at how pandemic closures changed the daycare industry, and more.
This series explores specific ways that burden impacts residents.
The Stories
What it Takes to Survive in Our Region
The numbers are stacked against San Diegans. Costs are up for housing, gas, utility bills and more. Four individuals gave Voice of San Diego an inside look at their household budgets to show just how much it costs to live in this county.
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In Search of Cheap Housing Families Pay a Different Price
Housing and transportation are the two largest items in any household budget, and they’re linked. Families trading one for the other often save little and lose time together.
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Housing Subsidies Can’t Keep Pace with Surging Rents
Despite state policy changes meant to shield low-income renters from massive rent hikes, many San Diegans remain vulnerable as rents skyrocket — and even San Diegans who receive Section 8 assistance or live in affordable housing are feeling the pinch.
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Why Your Energy Bill Spiked This Year
A breakdown of mostly everything on a gas and electric bill, and how global, national and local events and decisions conspired to hit San Diego households in 2022.
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Why Your Water Bill Is Rising
San Diegans are using less water, but the costs they pay continue to rise because of how the region gets its water in the first place.
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Fine City: Oceanside Schools Cut Buses For a Low-Income Neighborhood. Now Families Foot the Bill.
Oceanside parents have turned to a ride-giver system to get their children to school after the school district cut bus routes. Officials today are effectively passing the cost of transportation down to people who can least afford it.
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