Using my own dime to fly out for an interview? Is this normal?

I am in the second round of interviews for a tech company located in the Midwest and they want me to come to their HQ for an in-person interview. Only issue is that I live on the west coast and I would have to spend about $900+ to get out to their HQ.

The interviewer flat out told me "you're the best candidate that I've interviewed and we'd love to have you onboard". I sent an e-mail explaining that I may not be able to fit the flight in my budget (they want me to fly out next week) and asked if I had any other options.

They are willing to do a video interview but I would still need to fly in for the final round of interviews. It doesn't seem like they are going to help pay for any travel expenses. How should I respond to this?

usa jobs
usa jobs resume
usa hotel jobs
usajobs
usa jobs federal government
usa job in ksa
usa jobs
usa jobs login
usa jobs gov
usajobs.gov
www.usajobs.gov
usajobs.com
usajobs
usajobs.gov official