"Sometimes I read threads and people make it seem like it's costing a million dollars to live in a battlefield/death zone with no clean water, bacteria infested food and rapists everywhere."

I enjoy my time here, as do my wife and children. If it was like the above paragraph, i would be long gone.

In my honest opinion and im talking from my friends and I experience, rents are still going up still. I've seen no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Im not being arguementative here, im just not seeing or hearing what you are.