The cards seemed stacked against Christian Cabral when it came to attending college. Finances were tight, as her single mom, JoAnna, held down as many as three jobs in Gillette, cleaning motel rooms and doing food preparation at a gas station while raising Cabral and her two brothers. As the family struggled with basic living expenses, they also faced the costs of medical care for Cabral’s younger brother who has Down Syndrome.

CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Inflation can be the unwelcome guest at many of life’s biggest moments. It’s the bewildering cost of living accompanying a young person heading to college and the gut-churning hit to retirement funds creeping up on people inching closer to exiting the workforce.