[Patriam1066]

Idk what the solution to this is long term, but more people are going to have to be willing to move. Texas and Florida have good economies and are affordable. Tennessee and North Carolina have cheap housing. Even northwest Arkansas is underrated

I definitely agree it’s harder now. Having raised three kids on an engineer + nurse and then nurse practioner’s salary, with my wife taking 10ish years off to be a stay at home mom, I definitely think it’s worse now. Granted we drove piece of shit Hondas and Toyotas until they fell apart and didn’t live a life of luxury, it was still easy to build wealth, save for retirement, pay for our kid’s educations without them taking loans, pay off a house and rent it out while buying another one, etc

Still, looking around the world I don’t see much better. And america has some really beautiful spots if you’re willing to move. I personally love the Carolinas. I love the entire mountain west but I could see that being unaffordable

I hear the Midwest is dirt cheap? Not my cup of tea but if your priority is getting out on your own and starting a family, I think it’s still very possible.