<prompt> Human: My boyfriend and I paid off our loans in October. We are 100 debt free, no children, living in NYC. We have a total household income of 182500 114k net , thanks to good jobs in the city, and our current rent is 1650 for a huge 1bedroom apartment in Manhattan.The problem is that our commutes are over an hour long on a good day when there are not substantial train delays, and Im getting home after 8pm a lot of the time. We want to move downtown to the upper west side.The problem with THAT is that the rent will almost double. Weve decided that our rent budget will be around 2500 to 3k a month or lower if we can find it. Well be near central park on a quieter street than were currently on, in a nicer area and my commute time will be more than cut in half BUT it pains me to pay so much in rent for an apartment that will likely be a bit smaller.My sanity regarding work and the area we live in will improve, but financially? Is this a smart move? Is our rent budget realistic? Our other utilities and bills are minimal.  <response>: I think your new rent budget is realistic and manageable. Even at the high end of the range 36K a year is less than 13 of your combined annual take home. Sounds like it could be well worth it. Is your boyfriends commute shorter as well? 