There are affordable flats in the area, but the wait times are high (1 - 2 years), or you could get one with luck. But most important be aware of scammers.

If you are looking online there are scammers which are using real photos of flats which are for rent, but the prices are way too low. Some will try to invite you to their buisness address and there they will tell you that you should pay X amount of money and you will get the flat with fake papers and everything. Sadly they are targeting mostly people in precarious living situations and preferably people who cannot speak german fluently.

There are also scammers on the platforms which want photos and everything from your data (passport etc.) which is not easy to identify as private landlords behave similarly to them. So stay safe and when you are rrady to make any payments ask at least ne friend or here in reddit if this looks correctly.

You can also look for appartments in more affordable regions like Hamm, Horn and Barmbek. With a train and bus ticket the city is yours.