Literally every person I am friends with is a service industry person, and every single one of them lives paycheck to paycheck while having roommates.

My GF and I live on the edge of downtown and are now paying $1700 per month for a 630 square foot one bedroom apartment. The same apt was $1300 two years ago. I know prices are up everywhere, but this city is turning into San Francisco, homelessness and drugs and all. We literally can't afford to move away at this point, let alone better ourselves. We are both full time service industry, one FOH and one BOH.

What's the fix? At what point does this shit just collapse under its own lack of infrastructure upkeep and non-stop condo and hotel development? Why the fuck are we using our tax dollars to advertise for tourism?

If your response is "get a better job," you can already go fuck yourself. I'm open to a realistic conversation on this matter.

My question is: why do two people who live together (that put in over 120 hours a week combined) in the industry that allows this town to exist have trouble making ends meet?