There’s also the fact that US media wants to show this bad stuff because it helps keep people afraid of the world around them and makes them easier to manipulate.

No, this is not how it is. In order to rent an apartment you have to show proof of income, and people who can’t afford a studio apartment where they live also cannot afford to move. What you are suggesting is literally not possible. You might as well tell someone to grow wings and make a nest in the clouds.

So quit your job and pay hundreds, maybe even thousands, of dollars to move somewhere different where you no longer have a source of income and don’t know anyone?

They can only sell for those prices because buyers are ready to buy

Because the alternative is to be homeless.