Your rent should be one-third your monthly pay, in order for you to survive. That's the general One-Third rule for surviving on your own.
Only a few years ago, 2016-2019, I was paying $350 a month living with roommates in a four bedroom downtown apartment in Philly, and I was dirt-ass poor trying to finish my Masters degree and mainly working overnights on the weekends in a security concierge job. I forgot how little I made back then, but it was like $12 an hour for two 12-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday from 7pm to 7am, so about $1,152 gross pay a month. After taxes, that would just barely cover the one-third rule.
So I paid $350 for my share of the rent.
$150 a month for a monthly transit card, to get around on public transportation.
$150 a month on food (about $5 a day)
$20 for internet
$30 for phone bill
So I was spending about $700 a month out of a $1,000 gross pay after taxes. The One-third rule seems legit.
I live in California, and you can't rent a cardboard box for $600 a month. A studio apartment, if you can find one, that's 400 Sq. Ft. will cost $1000, a month, and that's also what you would likely pay to rent a room in someone else's house. A small 2 bedroom apartment in the ghetto area with nightly violence is $1600, and remotely decent areas will be $2000 and up.
It's damn hard to survive on your own at anything less than $3000 a month (after taxes), and I'm not sure you would even financially qualify making only that much.
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6Opinion
By myself, the absolute bare minimum cost per month is -
Electricity: 100
Car insurance: 142
Car maintenance: 100
Healthcare costs (with HSA reduction): 120
Food: 170
Internet: 70
Phone: 70
Car gas: 87
Water: 30
Mortgage: 1,600
Total: 2,489
With my girlfriend, it would cost an estimated
Electricity: 145
Car insurance: 207
Car maintenance: 200
Healthcare costs (with HSA reduction): 568
Food: 480
Internet: 100
Phone: 100
Car gas: 180
Water: 45
TV: 70
Mortgage: 1,600
Total: 3,695
I'm willing to cut costs where possible with myself but not my girlfriend, the spousal surcharge is $380/mo for enrolling her on my Healthcare plan but once my career is started, I can afford it cause I'll be making a minimum of $4,100 per month by year one and a maximum of $5,500 per month in that same time period.
Plus if I earn my stripes and go above and beyond then 5 years from then, I'll be eligible to become a Sergeant where I'll make a minimum of $9,500/mo and a maximum of $12,100 per month. All of these are calculated after taxes and the $2,500 HSA deductions are applied.
Long road ahead, but I can do it
I don't know the answer to this cause I’ve never had to worry about stuff like this yet but you can probably make $1K a month from working a part time job
At least 2k per month would be nice. Having extra money is always a food in case for emergencies.
$600 for rent? WTF where do you live? I'm looking at $1,500 just for that part alone.
I need 3k a month. I wish I could live in the middle of bum fuck nowhere, where there are not but dairy farms and only 1k a month.
Nothing. My mental health is fucked. I literally clean the house I stay in and stay in a unhappy relationship because I will be homeless otherwise
600 for rent and energy costs and around 300 for groceries.
1000$ a month counting shopping, and going out on weekends. 600$ if i only need to survive.
Right now, around $4,000/month.
3 grand ish
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