If you're considering Chicago unaffordable, I'm really curious what you think is affordable!
When I moved here, I was blown away that house prices where I live, about 30 minutes from downtown, are on average $150k, or less than 3x median yearly income here. This isn't actually drastically different from a semi-rural Missouri town I lived in for a bit.
Do you live in Indiana? Did you move ten years ago? I can't think of a single safe neighborhood in Chicago or its surrounding suburbs that are $150k today.
When I moved here, I was blown away that house prices where I live, about 30 minutes from downtown, are on average $150k, or less than 3x median yearly income here. This isn't actually drastically different from a semi-rural Missouri town I lived in for a bit.