Latest / Inflation Explained with Fexingo: CPI, Prices, and the Cost of Living for Everyday People
Why the Shelter Category Is Hiding Real Rent Inflation
CPI says rent is rising about 5 percent annually, but real market rents are climbing over 8 percent. Lucas and Luna dig into the Bureau of Labor Statistics' shelter methodology — specifically why owner's equivalent rent, a survey of what homeowners think they could charge, makes up nearly a quarter of CPI and systematically lags real-time data. They look at June 2026 market rent data from Apartment List and Zillow, compare it to the May CPI shelter print of 334, and explain why the Fed's favorite inflation gauge might be missing the biggest cost in most household budgets. If…
The skinny
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