How the Fed Ignores Your Actual Rent Increase

Inflation Explained with Fexingo: CPI, Prices, and the Cost of Living for Everyday People · Jul 1, 2026 · 8m · transcript

Episode 85 of Inflation Explained with Fexingo digs into the gap between what landlords are charging and what the government's official rent index shows. Lucas breaks down the Bureau of Labor Statistics' tenant-based sampling method — which captures renewals, not new leases — and contrasts it with real-time Zillow data showing April 2026 asking rents jumped 6.8 percent year-over-year while CPI shelter rose just 4.2 percent. Luna shares her own experience of a 12 percent renewal hike in Austin, and the hosts explain why the Fed's preferred PCE index does even worse at capturing…