I've been looking around for somewhere cheap to move to in WA, and just rent a studio apartment. I will eventually be living on about $1000 a month (i'm renting a room and doing that now) but I don't want to live the rest of my life renting a room.
I looked all over WA and it's almost impossible to find a studio apartment right now for less than $800, and then you add utilities + internet (internet is not an option) on that, and yeah.
It's gotten so out of control, I'm not sure how anyone who is retired etc can actual rent a place of their own, without significant savings. It is cheaper in other states of course, but...that requires a long move, and redoing health care etc. I might not have an option long term. Some form of rent control or help for the elderly with rent payments (just for the smallest apartments) is really going to be needed in the next decade for sure.
Minimum wage in Washington is 12 dollars an hour x 40 hours x 4 is about $1600 a month. If you're working less than 40 hours a week of course it's going to be hard to afford an apartment by yourself