I knew I would have to adjust to a higher cost of living out here than I was used to back home, but it has been a difficult adjustment. My cost of rent has almost doubled, where I previously was able to afford to live in a two-bedroom house with my partner. Now, I am living in an illegally-split house (an additional form of precarity, with an unreliable landlord) without a kitchen and paying $400 more (almost twice as much as I paid before), just for my share, each month. Other costs, such as food, gas, and car insurance are also higher. I only make a few hundred more each month on my stipends, less than my rent increase.
Now, I am living in an illegally-split house (an additional form of precarity, with an unreliable landlord) without a kitchen and paying $400 more (almost twice as much as I paid before), just for my share, each month.
Additionally, I moved out here and I did have the benefit of support from my partner; however, the job market in this smaller city is not in his favor. We thought he had found some stable employment, but this only lasted about six months, during which time he never received health benefits as promised and was occasionally being skimped on pay. Two weeks ago, as the COLA strike was announced, he lost his job and has yet to find anything full time that will provide a living wage. As it is, right now, my rent burden is 53%, but if he cannot find a job soon, it could jump to 92%.
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