You're complaining about paying $600 a month, even in one of the nicer yet still borderline sketchy parts of Chicago, the average rent was $750 a month and there was still a daily shooting and a murder once a month.
If I was younger than I am today, the
conversions to Sprinter vans are incredible, and you can change your view on a whim.
Find a used Sprinter van and hack something together.