My first apartment rented for $295 a month. And it had a great swimming pool.
From what I’ve seen, rents have gone through the roof.
Yes, rents have gone through the roof as has the cost of groceries, gas, etc. But, no one ever mentions that wages have gone through the roof. It's all relative. If you have two working adults making minimum wage they are easily bringing home $30 p/hour plus any benefits. If minimum wage they probably qualify for foods stamps and other assistance.
It's been decades since I paid rent so I could be completely wrong but a lot of states have minimum wage of $15 p/hour.