Reserve Bank interest rate pause does little for people struggling with cost of living pressures

Thomas Hammond says he did not expect interest rates to increase as much as they have.  (Supplied: Thomas Hammond)

While the Reserve Bank pausing the cash rate at 3.6 per cent is welcome news for residents hit hard by a year of rate hikes, it provides little immediate relief for people struggling with the cost of living.

Thomas Hammond, 26, has had to pick up a part-time job on top of his full-time job so he can afford his increasing mortgage repayments.