I've had to compile only a few times C/++ programs, and the experience can't be really compared to Rust (probably, to any other language :)).

Lately I've cross-compiled a few times Linux/Windows programs, and the only thing I had to do (assuming that the underlying crates are compatible, and that the development libraries are in place, which is required for any language) was:

  rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
  rustup toolchain install stable-x86_64-pc-windows-gnu

That's all. Then one can compile with:

  cargo build --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu

I've also compiled for RISC-V, and it was the same procedure.

There are surely issues with individual crates, and possibly with lower-tier targets, but to characterize this procedure as "user-hostile" doesn't make sense.