[wonderwes]

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$35-50K is barely getting by in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Making that amount, a reasonable rent is $400-700 a month. If you live in Austin Texas, you are not gonna have trouble finding a one or two bedroom apartment on the low end of that amount. In the bigger coast cities though, you can only find those type rents in rougher areas. In any half decent area, the cheapest, smallest studio you will find runs $750 and up. So your income is extremely streched due to high rents. At $35-50K a year in Los Angeles you are looking at 1/4 to 1/2 of your take home income for rent.

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I live in the ATX, but there is not a B&M for a minimum of 5 hours. Still amazes me Texas of all states does not have cardrooms. $600 a month here could get you the smallest unit in a luxury apt complex. The term luxury is misused, but its just a good statement to say (better than 80% of the complexes out there). If you have 650 sq ft, is having another 200 sq ft that important for the extra amount of $$$? Some it is, some it is not. Hell for $600 a month, you could find a sweet duplex with a yard and not have to live in some huge apt complex.

Rent is just a endless blackhole. You pay off a month, you get 30 days. Next month, pay off another 30 days. Look at a 5 year span, how much you will throw down on rent each year. It will start to add up.

Your home is important, because that is where you spend a lot of time. If you are single, don't have much stuff, I say live on the lower end of your income. You will save more $$$ for anything else you want to do (traveling for one). I hope one day to just own some piece of property so my payments are going towards ownership and not towards the endless feeding of rent.

It is a luxury to live on the expensive west/east coast cities. Your cashflow and lifestyle are always the deciding factors.