Fig.: to strive to keep up socially and financially with others in the same neighborhood or in the same social circle

I was tired of sacrifices to keep up with the Joneses. So, I decided to sell my condo at the shore and move into a less expensive neighborhood. Now all my debts are paid and I took a huge load off my chest

Ero stanco di fare sacrifici per non essere da meno dei vicini, così ho venduto l'appartamento al mare e mi sono trasferito in un quartiere meno caro. Ora che ho pagato tutti i debiti, mi sono tolto un grosso peso dallo stomaco

He had inherited the house in prestigious Coral Gables, but now, on his modest salary, it was increasingly difficult to keep up with the Joneses in such an expensive suburb

Aveva ereditato la casa nel prestigioso Coral Gables, ma ora, con il suo mero stipendio, era sempre più difficile stare al passo con i vicini in un'area residenziale tanto costosa

From the title of a comic strip by Arthur R. Momand, who in in the New York Globe in 1913 inaugurated a cartoon series dealing with the perennial problem of how to show as good a front as our neighbors