06/09/2026
$2,200 rent. $7 eggs. $50K in student debt.
Today’s 20s hit a lot different than 1995.
Older generations love to say, “We struggled too,” and maybe they did in their own way. But the numbers are not the same anymore. The cost of simply existing has gone through the roof.
People in their 20s today are working full-time, picking up side jobs, budgeting every grocery trip, delaying big life milestones, and still feeling like they are falling behind.
It is not because they are lazy.
It is not because they do not want to work.
It is not because they spend too much on coffee or takeout.
It is because rent takes half the paycheck, groceries feel like a luxury, healthcare is expensive, degrees come with massive debt, and job security feels like something from another lifetime.
A lot of young adults are not asking for life to be easy. They are asking for the math to make sense.
Because working hard used to mean you could eventually breathe. Now, working hard sometimes only means barely staying afloat.