Moving back in with the parents

Hey yall! Just came on here to rant about the about the rising rents in VA and to hear other peoples stories so I dont feel alone.

For context I am a civil engineer (graduated about 2 years ago and working at a good company) who lives in fairfax VA. My husband is an electrician apprentice. We both earn “very well” together but we both had to move in with my parents as a married couple because we couldn’t afford rent anymore. It’s not so much that we couldn’t afford it. We can but we would just be making enough to pay our bills without really saving.

We were living in an apartment in ffx for about 2500 without utilities included and when it came time for our lease renewal the rent was increased by about 500 dollars. We didn’t renew it and made the decision to move in with my parents who also live in fairfax because we want to be close to our work places. Fast forward to 4 months after living with my parents, we have been looking for places but now it seems like fairfax is not even an option for us anymore. Ffs basements start from 2000 here and you wouldn’t even have an oven. There was a listing in Gainesville for 1500 (about 1.5 hrs from DC) a basement with no oven of course, no windows and no pets!!!!!

Anyways, we are feeling pretty hopeless about our future here. Which is unfortunate because both our immediate families live here and my husband was born and raised here. We wouldn’t want to leave all of it behind. We could take the first opportunity to come our way for a shitty apartment that we can afford but how long will we be able to stay there before the rent rises to a point where we can’t afford it again.

Anyone else experiencing this??!!! Any advice for tips?