It isn’t entirely hopeless. We’re on a dual income and own our own apartment. Yes the mortgage and increasing rates are smashing us but there is still enough disposable income around for bi annual holidays - even over seas if you really wanted to stretch it. And it’s enough for both of us and our dogs. Certainly we don’t save that much (more so due to not really trying that hard) but we live a pretty happy and well catered life. This is smack bang right in the middle of very expensive Sydney might I add. So it’s still doable. If we had kids, I can see how it would be a MUCH tougher struggle. So it doesn’t surprise me that the population rates in a lot of nations with similar Capitalist-focused career traps are totally plummeting.