6 Expenses That Have Risen Faster Than Salaries This Year
The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) salary data, published on April 30, shows that wages increased by 3.4% over the last year. However, less than two weeks later, on May 12, the BLS reported that the inflation rate rose by 3.8% over the same period.
In short, if you feel like prices are outrunning your paycheck, you’re not imagining it. With inflation climbing faster than it has since 2023, stretching your dollars has become a matter of survival. The following expenses are hitting wallets the hardest, and the bad news is that you can’t avoid most of them.
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1. Gas
Over the last few months, gas replaced eggs as the poster child for inflation.
As of June 2, the national average price per gallon is $4.29, according to AAA. Exactly one year ago, it was $3.14. That’s a 36.6% jump, or more than 10 times the average 3.4% wage increase over the same period.
Vroom vroom.
2. Home Energy
It’s not just gas. The energy that fuels your home has also reduced your paycheck to a distant speck in the rearview mirror.
According to the May 12 BLS CPI report:
Fuel oil rose by 54.3%
Electricity increased by 6.1%
Energy services, in general, spiked by 5.4%
3. Airfare
Like gas and home energy, the memory of cheap plane tickets is currently trapped somewhere in the Strait of Hormuz.
The CPI report reveals a 20.7% year-over-year increase in airline fares, not nearly enough to keep pace with wage increases — and it shows. On April 27, journalist Brian Sozzi tweeted a quote from a Bank of America analyst stating that bookings had fallen “substantially” over 2024 and 2025 numbers in response to rising ticket prices.
But if you’re feeling bad about having to cancel your summer travel because you can’t afford to fly, at least you’re not Spirit Airlines. On May 2, the AP reported that the budget carrier went out of business after 34 years, blaming fuel costs for its downfall.
4. Meat and Fish
Although flying somewhere this summer might be out of reach, you can still have a great time at home when you fire up the barbecue … or can you?
The CPI report’s accounting of meat prices is a vast sea of double-digit year-over-year percentage point increases. The cost of beef and veal has climbed 14.8% since the spring of 2025, with the following culprits leading the charge.
Ground beef: 14.5%
Steaks: 16.1%
Roasts: 17.8%
Veal and other beef: 10.5%
Whatever, we’ll just grill hot dogs all summer until prices fall back down to earth, right? Nope. Frankfurters are up 10.7%. And if you’re thinking of a pescatarian pivot, the price of frozen fish and seafood is up 12%.
5. Fruits and Vegetables
One thing that carnivores and vegetarians can bond over in 2026 is price tag pain.
Fresh vegetables cost 11.5% more than they did a year ago, with tomatoes as the tip of the spear with a 39.7% year-over-year spike — 11.7% more than the average salary increase over the same period. Fresh lettuce is up 7.9%, and even processed and canned fruits and vegetables across all categories have outpaced both wages and general inflation. As a whole, the price of fruits and vegetables is 6.1% higher than in 2025.
6. Drinks
One of the sunnier portions of the CPI report is the price of eggs, which fell by 39.2% over the last year. However, coffee is up by 18.5%, so the breakfast bill is approaching a wash — and coffee isn’t the only problem child in liquid form.
The cost of nonalcoholic beverages rose by 5.1% overall, with even soft drink prices outpacing wages at 3.7%. If you’re thinking you’ll pinch pennies by sticking with H2O, think again. The Washington Post reported on May 13 that the price of water — that’s the stuff that falls out of the sky three times a week — has risen twice as quickly as general inflation.
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This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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