Gas and The Rent Aren’t The Only Thing That’s High In West Texas
Everyone talks about the rent here and how it is, and they should. They also talk about how much it cost to rent a hotel room, which is outrageous And everyone talks about how the Permian Basin has higher gas than anywhere in Texas, but that is not where it hurts us the most.
Where most people don't think about how expensive groceries are getting. For example I did some research jut on hamburger meat. I went to the grocery store the other day and picked up some hamburger meat my little about one pound package of 90/10 meat was $5.74 and according to HEB's website hamburger meat is on average $4.79 per pound. Now let put this in perspective, the average cost of hamburger meat in New York, City, one of the largest cities on the planet, is #3.29 per pound.
We are considered a small areal in the middle of now where Texas and it cost us more to buy live, eat and drive our cars than someone living in one of the largest cities in the world.
This brings me back to what you hear all of the time, "We don't make oil field money." It's very true, how are people who aren't making oil field money able to eat much less find a place to live.
Recently one of our coworkers was just given notice that his 640 square foot apartment was going up to $1941 plus fees and if he was to go month to month his rent would be $3041 a month.
What is so hard is that many people work for huge corporations that have offices in some city up north that don't understand or work for a mom and pop operation that can't afford to pay massive wages.
So if you do find a place to live you can afford, and afford to put gas in your car, and still buy groceries than you my friend have hit the lotto.
I know how hard it is on my own and it's just me, think about single parents our there and one income house holds, something has to give.