In 2020 I was lucky that I had the opportunity to live rent-free with my girlfriend's parents for a year to save up the 5% down payment required for first-time homebuyers. I had to get the cheapest, most run-down house with bars on the windows because the town was that bad. Still, living there for 4 years let me build up capital, and now I sold it and got a pretty nice place to live instead.
I thought I'd never get a house for all the reasons you posted, but it was possible, if only barely after a year of embarrassment and the luck to even have that. I hope you get the opportunity to save up that money somehow, too. It changes your life to have a house that basically puts your monthly housing money to paying off an investment rather than paying off your landlord's investment instead.