Bruh, I live in Seattle. The cheapest ones are still in the $1000s for minimal sq/footage. My place is $1700/m w/parking at 640 ft.

Average people who work in service or labor can't afford to live here if they have a family. Commuting on 90 or I-5 or 99 is always a slog, so living outside of the city incurs massive time and effort, which aren't sunk costs. Gas is $5-6/gal here. Public transit is better than most places, but still bad. And we haven't even brought up the homeless dilemma, rampant drug use, and property crime.

Most cities are like this now. Dallas/Ft Worth are cess pools. Miami is a mess. Tampa, SFO, LA, NYC, and so on... If people don't see it, it's because they're ignoring it or are in a bubble.