Rising food costs make Houstonians cut back on extracurricular activities, according to new report

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new report released shows that the cost of eating at home and in restaurants has increased significantly in the Houston area over the last year.

Numbers provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicates that eating anywhere in Houston has risen 8.7 percent from April 2021 to April 2022.

That's the most significant increase since August 1981.

"Those prices will continue to rise," said University of Houston economics professor Christopher Clarke, Ph.D. "Food will take a larger portion of our budgets than it did before."

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Houstonian Juan Benitez says he is well aware of the skyrocketing food prices.

Benitez, who recently spent $350 on groceries, said his family of three is having to eliminate some extracurricular activities due to rising food prices.

"My son is four," said Benitez. "He likes going out to trampoline parks, we take him to the zoo and stuff, but we haven't been able to take him lately."

The cost of eating out has risen 7.5% from April 2021 to April 2022, while eating at home in the same timeframe has gone up 9.8%.

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"I just hope to see prices go back down," said Benitez.

Clarke said it could take months to see costs decrease a noticeable amount. Clarke also mentioned that the price of proteins has leveled off, but the price of other items is what will make grocery shopping harder on the wallets of Houstonians.

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"Your fruits and vegetables, dairies, and grains - those prices are predicted to rise," said Clarke.

Numbers show that the Houston area's overall Consumer Price Index, an overall average of everything individuals spend money on, has gone up 8.5% whereas the national average is 8.3%