My guy, the shitholes where I live sell for $100k minimum, and come with several hundred a month in lot rent, because they’re trailers. A shitty condo is $200k or more, plus, again, a few hundred a month in association fees. I could move somewhere with a lower cost of living but I’d easily take a 50% paycut, so I’d be in the same situation. It’s not about not being willing to live in crappy places, it’s about even the crappy places being well outside of what nearly everyone can afford without a mortgage.
You really should take advantage of any first time homebuyers programs you have in your state, and talk to a real estate agent to keep a look out for you. Deals pop up all the time, and the reason you’re not seeing them is you don’t have access to the multiple listing network (MLS), while a real estate agent does. All you see on the market is “what’s left”, after shit gets snagged up. You have no idea what’s available out there.