The cost of living in the US weighs on Latino voters as economic discontent grows

By Maria Santana, CNN

(CNN) — As she walks out of a Latino supermarket in New York, Esmeralda Roustand shakes her head in frustration.

“There’s almost $20 in here and basically nothing,” said the 60-year-old Dominican mother and grandmother while holding a small bag containing just two orange juices and a lunch of chicken with green bananas.

“If you go grocery shopping, food is expensive, and don’t even get me started on housing. You can’t afford an apartment because they’re extremely expensive,” Roustand said.

Roustand has two adult children and three grandchildren in the Dominican Republic. She works as a home health aide and regularly sends part of her paycheck back to her family on the island. But amid rising food, rent and transportation costs, she says it has become harder to help her loved ones while also supporting herself.

“No matter how much you try to stretch your money, you just can’t anymore because it’s not enough,” Roustand said.

Like her, more and more Latinos say they feel overwhelmed by the cost of living in the United States, even as some economic indicators continue to show resilience.

But for many in this community, financial pressure is not measured in charts or statistics. It’s measured in grocery bags that feel lighter every day, in rent that keeps climbing even when wages do not, and in canceled outings and family plans.

“Every month, I have to check whether I can afford to eat out or whether I have enough to pay rent,” said Juan Galván, a young college student in New York. “I have to adjust when I can go out with friends and basically stay inside just to justify all the money being spent on my apartment.”

Growing economic frustration

The concerns expressed by Latinos in New York are not isolated. A new CNN poll shows the cost of living and inflation remain among Americans’ top concerns ahead of the midterm elections.

The survey shows 70% disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, while more than seven in 10 disapprove of his handling of inflation and gas prices.

Annual inflation rose to 3.8% in April, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reaching its highest level in nearly three years, while the national average price of gasoline has climbed above $4.50, according to AAA.

Michael Negrón, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former White House economic adviser under President Joe Biden, says inflation tends to disproportionately hit the Latino community because a large share of their income goes toward basic necessities.

“Latinos are being particularly affected by the inflation we’re seeing,” Negrón said. “According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Hispanics spend a larger share of their budget on food, nearly 15%, and around 8% on energy costs – numbers well above the national average.”

According to Negrón, Latino households also tend to rely more heavily on cars and travel longer distances than other groups to get to work.

“When gas prices go up 40% or 50%, it affects everyone, but it affects Latinos more,” Negrón explained. “When the prices of basic necessities – food, electricity and gasoline – are exactly the things rising the fastest, the impact on families is significant.”

The dollar buys less and less

For many consumers, the impact can be summed up in one phrase: Every day you spend more for less.

“Before, with $100, you could fill up a shopping cart, but now you carry the items in your hand with just two little bags,” said José Rosario, who has worked for seven years at Hamilton Meat Market, a butcher shop and grocery store in Upper Manhattan.

Rosario says he has watched customers’ shopping habits change over the years, with people now buying fewer products and looking for ways to make their money stretch further.

“A year ago, papaya was 99 cents a pound. Now it’s $1.99 a pound. Sometimes people ask for it to be cut into pieces so they can afford to take some home. And lemons are two for a dollar. Before, you could buy as many as five for that price,” Rosario said.

The changes, however, do not stop at the supermarket for those who have been forced to constantly adjust their budgets.

“This has affected us in so many ways,” said María Sofía González, an Ecuadorian mother who says the high cost of living has impacted family traditions and even small everyday moments that once seemed normal.

“We’ve had to give up certain little pleasures. Going out, for example. Whenever we could, we used to go out with the family for walks around the city or to eat at a restaurant, but we’ve had to cut back on those kinds of expenses,” González said.

“You have to cut back on everything you consume because the money truly isn’t enough anymore,” Yuberkis Suriel said while shopping for her household. “Any little craving costs you $40 or $50. I mean, everything has gone up except wages.”

Frustration ahead of the elections

For Negrón, the economic frustration could become a key factor heading into the midterm elections, especially among Latino voters who expected relief on the cost of living.

“People, including a record number of Latinos,  voted for this president believing he would act on the cost of living, and that hasn’t happened,” Negrón said.

According to the recent CNN poll, 77% of Americans directly blame the president’s policies for rising prices.

“In many cases, policies such as tariffs, mass deportations and the war with Iran have had the opposite effect and have further increased families’ concerns about rising prices,” Negrón said.

But for consumers like Roustand, political debates matter far less than the difficult choices waiting at the supermarket checkout line every week.

“I feel like the economy is getting worse every day,” she said while holding the small bag with her juices and lunch. “But you have to keep shopping, because you have to eat.”

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