JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For many Jacksonville families, rising prices at the pump and the grocery store are no longer just frustrating; they are changing everyday decisions.
From cutting back on hobbies and shopping trips to reworking monthly budgets, residents across Northeast Florida say the cost of basic necessities is forcing them to rethink how they spend their money.
“I’ve had to cut down on more frivolous expenses to make sure I can buy the stuff I actually need,” Jacksonville resident Sloan Douglas said.
According to AAA, the average price for regular gas in Jacksonville reached $4.53 a gallon on Thursday, up from $4.18 just one week earlier. While driving around Jacksonville, News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson found several stations charging around $4.59 a gallon.
For drivers like Chris Mendez, the impact has become impossible to ignore.
“From where I live and from where I work is about half an hour,” Mendez said. “A few years ago, less than $25 could fill up my tank and last me about a week. Now it’s $40, and that barely lasts me a week now.”
Like many drivers across Jacksonville, Mendez said rising prices are forcing him to make trade-offs — weighing everyday wants against the rising cost of simply getting around.
“I collect stuff, and before I would be able to at least to go see if there is anything I am willing to get,” he said. “But now I’m not able to go to those places, or if I try to, it’s not as often, or I don’t have as much money as I used to because of the prices.”
Ellie Anderson relies on Uber to get to work and run errands, something she said has become more expensive as gas prices continue rising.
She said the financial pressure is showing up in everyday decisions, forcing her to think more carefully about what she can afford beyond the essentials.
“Maybe going shopping or other places, I have to improvise and put priority first, because if I don’t work, where would that money come from?” Anderson said.
The pressure at the pump comes as many families are already struggling with higher grocery costs.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows grocery prices nationally remain higher than they were a year earlier, despite inflation slowing overall.
University of North Florida economics professor Chiradip Chatterjee said the rising costs may feel especially noticeable in Jacksonville because the city has historically been considered more affordable than many other parts of Florida.
“I mean, it should feel less expensive in Jacksonville, actually,” Chatterjee said. “If we look into the other cities, even in Florida, Jacksonville is actually on the lower end. I don’t deny things are expensive.”
Chatterjee said many families are being forced to make difficult financial decisions as higher prices continue affecting everyday essentials like gas and groceries.
“That’s only like one side of it,” Chatterjee said. “The other side is that the wages aren’t going at that rate.”
Chatterjee said even if some prices eventually begin to ease, consumers should not expect costs to quickly return to what they were several years ago.
“Prices are a little sticky. Once they go up, it’s very hard for them to come down,” Chatterjee said. “I don’t think it’s going to stabilize in the next six months, one year, or two years. It might take much longer than that.”