A popular TikTok creator who posts online as CeCe (@coachcentearious) recently shared a video explaining why she allegedly left her apartment in Phoenix. She says she works full-time as an Uber driver and puts in 60 to 80 hours every week. Through this, she claims to earn between $1,800 and $2,100 a week, which adds up to roughly $8,000.
As per her narration, she has a daughter in college and a son who lives with his father in another state. She is not married and does not have a roommate to help pay the bills. When her lease ended, she decided not to renew the contract because living in Phoenix had become too expensive. She stated, “I was drowning.” Her two-bedroom apartment in North Phoenix cost $1,850 a month.
She has driven for ten years and says she now rents a Toyota Prius through a third-party company. With the rising inflation rates, she claims to pay $400 a week for the rental, which covers all the maintenance and insurance. The vehicle gets 52 miles to the gallon, but gas in the area costs about $5 a gallon, which costs her about $60 a day for gas while working 10 to 14 hours daily.
The cost of living increases
During the summer, she also had to pay for flights so she could visit her children and bought eight plane tickets between May and August. Before going back to driving full-time, she worked from home for Progressive Insurance making $23 an hour. She claimed to quit that job because the pay was not enough and she still had to drive at night to cover her expenses.
Moving into her car meant buying a blow-up mattress, pillows, and blackout shades to sleep comfortably. She claimed to make this choice because staying in the apartment would have ruined her mental health. Her daily routine now involves going to the gym to work out and shower, putting her things in a storage unit, and cleaning her car. She plans to save money, pay off debts, and eventually buy her own newer vehicle.
President Trump says there is no inflation, but according to Expatica, the U.S. is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, with an average American family spending about $891 on food each month in 2026. The inflation rate rose by 2.1% this year. The average housing cost (including utilities) in 2026 is expected to be $2,302 per month.
Published: Oct 13, 2026 03:32 am