I was just talking with my old friend A. last night about our early apartments. When he eloped with his then-wife, they got a small studio apartment in what had been a motel. He was paying a tad under $200. It included a kitchenette and a full bath. When I got a place of my own a few years later, it was a 3-bedroom unit for $600/month, split with my brother-in-law 50/50.

A.'s place has been demolished now, I think, as a part of "urban renewal." It really benefits the poor to remove their affordable options, y'know. Any lodging like that runs around $1000 now. My old place has new flooring and appliances, but now costs something like $2400/month, because the rental market is insane for family units too.