'I can't afford to live': TikToker goes viral after blasting the high cost of living in US

UNDATED (WKRC) - A Gen Z TikToker recently went viral after blasting the high cost of living in the United States.

The TikToker posted a video on March 2, which has since gone viral, garnering over 7.6 million views.

• This TikTok video contains profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.

"Can somebody explain to me in crayon-eating terms why I make over three times the federal minimum wage and I cannot afford to live?” the TikToker asked. “And I do not want to hear the ‘Pull yourself up from your bootstraps, work 90 hours a week.’ That’s not the goal, guys.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

The TikToker went on to directly address the cost of renting an apartment.

"A one-bedroom apartment, $1,800. Two-bedroom apartment, $2,200. Who can afford that? It is embarrassing to come out and say that it is a struggle to survive right now. But I know so many people are struggling.” the TikToker said.

According to The New York Post, consumer price index data released by the Department of Labor Wednesday revealed that inflation accelerated for the third month straight in March, which is keeping prices high and delaying any interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Per the publication, housing and gasoline costs were identified as the biggest drivers of inflation in March and accounted for more than half of the total monthly increase.

"Where has the plot gone?" the TikToker asked near the end of the video.

Many top-rated commenters on the viral video appeared to share the same frustration with the U.S. economy, with several others writing that they also couldn't afford to live comfortably on their current income.

"You gotta have a 9-5 and 2 businesses while investing in stocks on the side to live in this economy," one commenter wrote.

"My grandparents bought a house with an ocean view for $32,000 in 1970 and sold it for $1.1m," another wrote.

It comes as high inflation has put enormous financial pressure on most American households, with the cost of rent, fast-food and groceries rising each and every year. A recent report from the Wall Street Journal found that $100 at the grocery store doesn't buy as much as it did five years ago, with the same grocery list costing 36.5% more.

"When it comes to the grocery store when it comes to going out to eat, if you see a 20, 30% increase in those prices, and you're on the lower end of the income scale, while you're going to scale back or not go at all," Vice President of General Economics at the CATO Institute Scott Lincicome said.