Average monthly interest costs for the lowest 20% of income households rose 36.1% year over year in the second quarter, nearly three times the 12.1% increase across all households and the sharpest annual rise since records began in 2019. Higher borrowing costs have added to the strain on households reliant on expensive loans, with average bank-sector credit-loan rates approaching 6% in July from around 5% a year earlier. Food spending also increased faster among lower-income households, while rising prices for staples, affordable restaurant meals, jeonse and monthly rent, alongside employment difficulties among people in their 20s and 30s, further weakened household finances.