If Rodriguez had been able to buy a house and lock in a mortgage, it would have helped shield her from the highest inflation she has seen in her adult life. Instead, her landlord recently hiked her monthly rent from $1,200 to $1,500. After exhausting her savings, Rodriguez struggled to pull together $50 to fill her car with gas and commute to the Miami International Airport, where she earns $13.80 an hour as a Wendy’s cashier.

Lower-income workers like Rodriguez have seen some of the fastest wage growth of the pandemic era. But those gains are being eroded by the highest inflation in 40 years, and Rodriguez’s paycheck doesn’t go as far as it used to. A mother of three, Rodriguez has to budget $200 a week for child care and $200 a month for the water bill. The pack of paper towels she buys went from $14 to $18.

“It’s outrageous how much everything has gone up,” Rodriguez said. “I go to the supermarket to buy chicken, and I have to make a decision on what meal I’m going to cook based on the prices. … I’m not going to buy anything luxurious. Everything is more expensive.”