As Tay Zonday (yes, the chocolate rain guy) has pointed out: Being poor now just leads to being more poor later. Poverty charges interest.

What few walkable cities exist in North America are in such absurdly high demand that rent is out of reach for all but the wealthiest people. So your more “affordable” option are car-dependent suburbs. Cars are a tax on poor people as far as I’m concerned, the rich can easily dodge it by simply living in one of the few places worth a damn.