This post is part of a series chronicling news coverage of rising prices in the United States. See more here.
Jacksonville's WJXT reports on families “cutting back on extras just to cover the basics” amid rising gas prices
WJXT anchor: “Many Jacksonville families are feeling the pressure on their wallets every time they leave the house”
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From the May 7, 2026, video uploaded to WJXT News4JAX's YouTube channel
JENNIFER WAUGH (NEWS4JAX ANCHOR): From rising gas prices to groceries, many Jacksonville families are feeling the pressure on their wallets every time they leave the house. And for those already struggling to make ends meet, they now have to rethink their entire budget.
BRUCE HAMILTON (NEWS4JAX ANCHOR): News4JAX reporter Brianna Brownlee talked with some families feeling the pinch and and Bri, economists say it is going to be a bit before those costs come down.
BRIANA BROWNLEE (NEWS4JAX REPORTER): Yes, the local economist I spoke with told me that it will take longer than six months, a year and possibly two years before we start to see things stabilize. And you can see even just right here with this gas price $4.59. Now that is the price we have been seeing as we drove around Jacksonville, and we spoke with families -- they told us not only is it noticeable, it's forcing real changes in how they spend.
SLOAN DOUGLAS: And I've had to cut down on more frivolous expenses just to make sure that I can buy the stuff that I actually need.
BROWNLEE: Sloan Douglas' perspective is something felt by many Jacksonville families. That's the reality right now, cutting back on extras just to cover the basics. University of North Florida Economics Professor Chiradip Chatterjee says it's not just that prices are going up.
CHIRADIP CHATTERJEE (ECONOMICS PROFESSOR): That's only one side of it. I believe the other side is the wage is not growing at that rate.
BROWNLEE: And that gap is what many families are feeling right now. Even as inflation has slowed nationally in recent months, prices on everyday essentials like groceries and gas remain high. Gas prices across Jacksonville have been climbing this week. When we drove around town, we found many stations charging around $4.59 a gallon. Near the Saint Johns Town Center prices jumped from $4.34 on Tuesday to $4.59 Wednesday morning. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics grocery prices in the South, including Florida, are up to around 2-3% compared to this time last year.
CHATTERJEE: You know, it should feel less expensive in Jacksonville, actually. If we look into the other cities, even in Florida, Jacksonville is actually on the lower end. But I mean, I don't deny that fact that things are expensive.
BROWNLEE: And economists say even when prices start to fall, they likely won't return to what families were paying before.
CHATTERJEE: Prices are pretty sticky, so once they go up, it's very hard for it to come down.
BROWNLEE: So again, economists say they don't believe that prices will decrease anytime soon, so they are really pushing for people to be cautious in their spending.