1- By living with roommates and renting a room (sometimes half a room).

2- By taking painfully long commutes to cheaper locations.

3- By living with parents/partner. This is not an option for most people, but probably what makes moving to a job a difficult situation.

> what kind of people are able to afford a house?

Apparently, half of Germany can't afford a home.

- https://www.statista.com/statistics/246355/home-ownership-ra...