<prompt> Human: Hi guys,I have been reading this sub for quite a while now, and now I have a question on my own.I am a German citizen and living in Germany at the moment. However, I just got a new job in the US and will be relocating to Stamford, CT as of January 1st.Right now I am trying to figure out what my costs of living will be and how much I can afford. I will make 60,000 salary plus 10 bonus per year. My benefits include a health, dental and visual plan. My phone including contract will also be paid for by my employer.According to the income tax calculator on tax-rates.org, I will pay an effective tax rate of 25.01, which leaves me with 44,991.25 after-tax income, which is 3749.27 per month I will round up to 3750 from this point on.I have been looking into housing in Stamford and found that the leases are very expensive, probably due to the proximity to NYC. I had a closer look at a 1-bedroom apartment for 1,600 per month. It is very close both to my work and to the city and includes a gym and a pool. This would save me the money for a long commute and an external gym. The price seems to be on the lower end of the range for decent one-bedrooms in Stamford. According to other tenants the utilities will average to about 100 per month.Since the apartment is in walking distance both from my work and the city, I dont want to get a car in order to save some money here.My budget looks like that at the moment: 1,600 - lease for apartment 100 - utilities 70 - cable, internet 500 - groceries, household goods 480 - spending money eating out, new clothes etc. 200 - savings for emergencies 500 - savings for retirement fund 300 - savings for vacationThis equals the 3750 after-tax monthly income.At the moment, I have around 15,000 in savings, lying in different checking accounts, partly in USD, partly in Euro. I will spend around 2,000 of that for furniture for my new apartment.My question now is - is that a realistic plan? Will I be able to stick to it? Should I be saving more and spend less? And first and foremost, can I afford the apartment Ive been looking at or should I try to find a shared apartment and save a few hundred extra dollars?  <response>: I have to ask, 60K for Stamford, CT as an expat is awfully low. May I ask why you are moving there? I hope there is career advancement involved.Anyway, your budget is definitely doable. I would budget in a rental car for a little while, especially when moving in and exploring the city. 