I would suggest Sarreguemines and surroundings. It had that dying old industry and rising unemployment vibe when I was there some years ago, and the weather was shit but that might have just been a coincidence.

If you’re really feeling lucky: certain suburbs of Paris or Marseille might be exactly what you’re looking for.

They’re very comfortable but plan your transfers with plenty of spare time

Fuel prices went up a lot but the price swings are still nowhere near the example prices you gave there…

It went from 1,5 - 1,6 € per litre to about 2,5 € per litre here, not from 1,5 to 9. And the changes are happening, people are buying more electric cars and home batteries+solar is growing very rapidly… So no, people are not accepting it, despite the price increase still being manageable (and price still being rather steady, it basically just swung up quickly at the Iran fiasco and then plateau there)