Inflation is scorching in once-affordable Phoenix. And rising gas, food prices are not to blame

Ashlee Eisenstein’s landlord recently increased the rent on her one-bedroom apartment in Phoenix from $850 a month to $1,150, a 26% increase.  She barely entertained the idea of looking for a new place outside of Phoenix, where rents are averaging $1,911 as of April, according to Zillow. That’s 27% higher than what they were two…