Can Americans stop with the "surely it's better elsewhere" crap ? No it's not better in Europe. Either you go to a capital or second tier city with jobs, and pay ridiculous rates. Buy, rent, doesn't matter. Or you go to a normal city and commute in. That adds 2-4 hours to your working day and 50-150 euros to your (effective) monthly rent, but provides you with a much better place to live.

Or of course you go to rust belt equivalent communities. Northern Spain. Southern Italy. Very cheap, beautiful even, housing for no money whatsoever. And not a chance in hell of finding a job there.