AUSTIN, Texas — Two months ago, Shawn Jimenez moved from downtown Austin to South Austin, near Manchaca Road. The reason probably won’t come as a surprise.
“Rent started at $1,650, and whenever I renewed, it was over $2,100. That was the renewal lease price,” said Jimenez.
Now, in South Austin, Jimenez pays about $1,400 a month. Saving money is a relief, especially with student loans.
“I knew that I wanted to just kind of lower my monthly obligation, my monthly rent obligation,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not in the position to buy any home, so renting is kind of my only option right now.”
Rising rent is a problem across Texas. One expert says even if you move outside a big city, it might not be cheaper, especially if you’re commuting.
“Now there’s transportation,” said Monica Guzmán, the policy director with Go Austin/Vamos Austin (GAVA). “So while your housing costs went down, your transportation has gone up. So really, there’s still a problem.”
That’s been a problem for Jimenez, too. He works from home on some days. But when he goes into the office north of downtown Austin, he drives about 15 miles on I-35 to get there. What once was a quick drive is now a longer commute.
“A solid 45 minutes,” he said.
Through her role at GAVA, Guzmán said she engages with East Austin residents on issues to help improve their quality of life. But Guzmán has also had a hard time as a renter herself.
“It’s been a struggle with even what’s considered respectable pay,” she said. “It’s hard to find something reasonable. A person is considered burdened when their rent or mortgage is more than 30% of their monthly gross income. And off the top of my head, I believe the rent I pay — which is $1,325 for a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath — is over 30% of my monthly income.”
She thinks Austin’s living wage should increase by $5, from $15 to $20.
“When I was campaigning for the District 4 special election, I was advocating for at least $20 an hour as a living wage,” she said. “We’re also losing first responders [and] essential staff with the city, with the paramedics [and] EMS not being paid a respectable wage, and they do a lot of heavy lifting.”
Since moving south, Jimenez said he’s saving more of his hard-earned money. And, he’s 10 miles closer to family in San Antonio.
“It’s definitely nice having that income and having that peace of mind knowing that I’m not having to pay for the increase in rent price,” he said.
Jimenez knows he did the best thing for himself and his finances. He has a positive message for other Texans struggling with rate hikes.
“Don’t be afraid to move outside of your comfort zone and find something new,” he said.