"Well, I would argue life is much harder these days (millennial era). The house I rent was bought for 30K in 1960. Now its worth 400K (or more). Salaries have not kept pace with that kind of increase."--True, but it's also an effect of where millennials are settling.  Many are delaying marriage and child-rearing while choosing to live in fast-paced, highly dense urban areas.  The more that settle in these areas, the more inventory is squeezed and the higher prices climb.  This is basically the price we're paying for encouraging exponential growth without considering the environmental impacts or infrastructure needs.