Economic outlook, cost of living are factors in upcoming election

RICHMOND — Emily Cagle and her husband chose to live in Richmond because it was more affordable than Northern Virginia, where her husband is from.

“I think it’s gotten really absurd,” Cagle said, about the cost of living in Richmond.

Standing outside a Henrico County Kroger, Cagle said she spends“at least double, easily” on groceries, compared to a few years ago.

Now her family is debating whether to move back to Northern Virginia, an area once considered much more expensive than Richmond, because “we’ll be paying the same price either way.”

The Cagles aren’t the only Virginians with doubts about financial stability.

Consumer sentiment remains at its third-lowest point since Roanoke College began measuring Virginia’s economic outlook in 2011. Although there was a slight uptick in sent