Ehhh not expensive if you go out to, say, Brownsville. Brooklyn is much, much more than just Williamsburg and Park Slope.

Never tried Williamsburg or Park Slope, but finding a good apartment for decent price is very hard no matter where. Of course prices drop if subway is harder to get to.

I mean, I'm not sure what your price range is but this is literally the top result on Craigslist right now:

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/d/fantastic-1-bdr-apt...

Granted it's Craigslist so who knows how legit it is, but if you're willing to share with roommates/etc. I don't feel like it's super hard to find a great apartment if you're willing to live further out.

This listing is 100% Fake

That's OK price for 1 bedroom, but won't cut it for me, since I'd need a much bigger one :)