In time you'll have to deal with lots more friction and red tape than the simple act of scoring a place to live in an area where such places are scarce.
If you do decide to stay, ask your colleagues if any of them would mind a roommate to cut their rent. In environments where housing is scarce doubling up is quite common. You might actually make someone happy to lower their effective rent a bit.
The domain linked is funny, being an expat is never 'easy', there are always hang-ups and issues. The grass always seems to be a lot greener on the other side, once you arrive you realize quite quickly that each place has its advantages and its drawbacks. Easy is staying at home. Being an expat stands for broadening your world view and your skills at the expense of some inconvenience.
Oh, and we actually like those old buildings, the one I'm writing this from was built in 1903.