I am really flabbergasted how people with low income don't look very hard for good deals, or pay for things that they shouldnt be paying for at that stage of th

I am really flabbergasted how people with low income don't look very hard for good deals, or pay for things that they shouldnt be paying for at that stage of their life. I saw an article saying there is no place in America people can afford to live on (I forget amount). Someone shared it on social media, and I did the calculation and I knew many places that were affordable by those standards, even in a large city. They retorted there isn't a place in America that you can find a place under 800$. I'm like .... did you look very hard? When I was in philadelphia from 2007-2009, I shared a 3 bedroom apartment with 3-4 other people for ~200$. When I wanted my own 'place', from 2009-2013 I rented a micro apartment in down town Philadelphia for 400$/month. I'm sure prices are higher now, but there are affordable places to live, but you have to be willing to give up something: commute time, amenities, size, privacy, etc. With income, other industries have room to complain, but not tech. my 28k TC starting salary isnt even what people are getting signing bonuses these days.