A gallon of gas for well over $4.\u00a0A movie ticket for $16. From daily necessities to small indulgences, prices are climbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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There’s a reason that inflation is a central element of this year’s election, both nationally and here in Connecticut. The question of how to address rising costs is a central topic of next month’s governor’s race: Republican candidate Ryan\u00a0Fazio faults incumbent Gov. Ned Lamont (D) for increasing the cost of living in\u00a0Connecticut, while Lamont promises to focus on keeping costs low.<\/p>\n
Given that debate over affordability, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure how bad inflation has gotten. The BLS’s monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) measurements allow us to see just how much more expensive basic goods and services have gotten over time.<\/p>\n
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Over the past eight years, prices have increased by 30% across New England, the smallest geographic area including Connecticut for which CPI data is available. For some specific categories, though, the costs have jumped even more.<\/p>\n
The cost of dining out has steadily risen in recent years, rising almost 50% since mid-2018. In other words, a meal that cost $20 back then would now cost an average of over $29. (For this analysis, we looked at six-month averages of CPI values, in order to reduce monthly volatility.)<\/p>\n
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In recent years, the increase has been more modest, but still significant. Since the beginning of 2023, when Lamont’s current term began, costs are up 17%. Since January 2025, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time, the cost of eating out has increased by 6%. Those figures are roughly in line with the national increases.<\/p>\n
As anybody who regularly drives by a gas station knows, the price of gasoline has moved significantly more than once in recent years. Prices surged after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and jumped more after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This year, prices surged after the U.S. launched strikes against Iran. Since the beginning of 2025, gas prices are up more than 30% in the region.<\/p>\n
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Like gas prices, the price of electricity sees sharper peaks and falls than other categories. The Energy Information Administration provides state-level data, letting us see that electricity that would have cost $100 in mid-2018 now costs more than $130 on average. Since the beginning of 2025, though, prices are actually down.<\/p>\n
The price of shelter in New England \u2014 primarily housing \u2014 increased by around 37%, more than the overall inflation rate of 30%. On a state level, Connecticut’s real estate market has also been especially tough for buyers relative to the entire country. Since the beginning of 2023, the costs of shelter are up 22%.<\/p>\n
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Overall, the cost of grocery store items has increased by over 25% since 2018 and about 6% since the beginning of 2023. Most of that increase occurred since January 2025, though, with tariffs and energy prices pushing grocery prices higher. Of course, price increases differ even across grocery store aisles, with some foods, like beef, increasing more than others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tuition, school fees and child care now cost 25% more than they did eight years ago. To put it another way, a family in 2018 paying $1,000 for child care on a monthly basis would now have to increase their budget by almost $3,000 each year. About half of that increase has occurred since January 2023.<\/p>\n
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The price of vehicles did not increase gradually like other item types did. Instead, costs climbed mostly during 2021 and 2022, and have stayed generally flat since.<\/p>\n
The cost of apparel stands out as a category where prices did not increase consistently over time. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic until the start of 2024, clothing prices were mostly cheaper than they were in 2018. Since the beginning of 2025, they’ve increased \u2014 again in large part because of tariffs imposed on imported clothing products.<\/p>\n
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For families facing higher bills, the nuances of where inflation has been higher or lower are unimportant. For legislators, though, they are very important \u2014 resulting from different problems and demanding different solutions. Many are simply beyond the power of elected officials in any state to control.<\/p>\n
They may face the wrath of voters angry about inflation anyway.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shelves are stocked during a store-opening preview at Wegmans in Norwalk, Conn. Monday, July 21, 2025.<\/p>\n
Connecticut Post\/Hearst Newspape\/Tyler Sizemore\/Connecticut Post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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