Plus-Candle-4410's journey

I lost my job about 8 months ago and have been actively searching ever since. I've interviewed with three different firms located in various cities, all thanks to internal references. Unfortunately, two of those firms rejected me due to the distance, even after I assured them that I was willing to relocate if I received an offer. I did receive one offer, but it was far below what I needed to live comfortably in that city. I looked into affordable apartments, but the only options within my budget would have meant a commute of over two hours, which was not ideal. I thought I could secure a better offer later on, and now I kind of regret that decision. Interestingly, during my time at my previous job, I was involved in the hiring process and once recommended a strong candidate who was also rejected solely because he was based in a different city, despite him stating he would be moving to our city in just two weeks for family reasons. I've also heard that landlords often won't rent to you if you haven't been employed in the city for at least a year, or they require you to pay six months' rent upfront, but I haven't verified this myself. It makes me wonder how others manage to move for work without having a significant amount of savings.