I moved out six months after I turned 18.
I made 6 bucks an hr out of high school and a quick look shows houses in Northern Va averaged 97.5K in 1980.
If that 6 bucks kept pace with housing inflation it would be $39 today. Food, education and healthcare would show a similar story. It would appear it was easier back then to do simple things like moving out?
This is a high cost area, but wages have been stagnant everywhere as the cost of living has increased.