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The mother of three, known as K, who shares her experiences on Instagram under the handle @mylifebackinoz, recently opened up about the financial pressures her family faces. Despite having two solid incomes, she and her partner feel financially strained.
In a reel she shared over the weekend, K described, “This is what being middle class actually feels like in 2026.”
She elaborated, “We’ve seen mortgage rates climb by 0.25 percent, and our grocery bill now surpasses what we used to pay for our first apartment. On top of that, fuel prices exceed $2.50 per litre, along with the costs of childcare and children’s activities.”
“While we aren’t struggling, we’re certainly not living comfortably either,” she added.
Having recently returned to Australia after living in the UK for 14 years, K admits she’s experiencing a form of ‘reverse culture shock,’ particularly when it comes to the rising cost of living.
But K’s family isn’t the only one struggling.
The cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages spiked by 3.1 per cent in the 12 months to January 2026, per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
That’s on top of years of rising grocery prices that have hit Aussies in the hip pocket.
An inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing practices released in 2024 found the cost of cheese alone increased by 27.3 per cent between March 2021 and September 2023.
The cost of bread rose by 24.1 per cent, milk got 22.7 per cent more expensive, and eggs also saw a 19.7 per cent price hike.
According to the inquiry, the total price of a staple shopping basket rose by more than 15 per cent in that time period.
That’s on top of rising housing costs, which have left many Aussies struggling to make rent.
The national median rent leapt from $420 per week in 2020 to $650 per week in 2025, marking the lowest level of rental affordability on record.
Meanwhile, the national median house price has hit $1.28 million, making homeownership an impossible dream for many families.
Diesel hit a record three dollars a litre in parts of the country over the weekend.
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