Rent in America's biggest cities is sky-high.

The current median US rent is $1,700 — nearly triple the $588 cost of rent in the 1960s, adjusted for inflation.

Rent is particularly a problem for the aspiring homeowner, who needs to spend four to 10 years saving enough cash for a 20% down payment on a median-priced home in one of the 25 largest US cities, according to a recent SmartAsset study. That's assuming they're a median earner saving 20% of their annual income for the down payment.

Even those who can afford to buy a house may not be able to get much for their money in a place like New York or San Francisco, where the median home value is $1.3 million.

From insufferable commutes to living in vehicles, here are the drastic measures Americans are taking due to a lack of affordable housing.