Here, people of lesser means can avoid renting by buying an older single wide on a half acre lot with well and septic out in the far suburbs or country and commenting in. Won’t be a showplace, won’t impress anybody at all and might even put some people off, but they can be bought in the $20K - $40K range. Cheaper than rent, by far. But, insulation is usually very poor so heating and cooling expense could be a surprise unless it’s had additional spray foam insulation put in. Walls typically aren’t thick enough for much else.
Commuting in, not commenting in.