<prompt> Human: I moved from the midwest to an expensive east coast city about a year ago. Ive been out of school and earning a real salary for about 2 12 years now Im mid-twenties. My take-home pay after heath care, retirement, etc. with two bi-weekly paychecks is about 3,680. My housing search was constrained by the fact that I had to find a place during one weekend trip to the east coast, but I managed to find a pretty nice townhouse for 2,425 a month. It is sort of a gem considering the great shape it is in. The landlord is good and it is well kept up, the commute is decent and a lot is within walking distance, the utilities are low, it is really more space than I need, and my only real complaint is one set of neighbors which can occasionally be loud. And- the price. Im paying 23 of my take home pay in rent. I keep my other expenses low which means Im not able to travel like I want to, but Im okay with that as long as it is temporary. I am able to save 100-400 a month.I know that the amount I am paying in rent is not great, but I am picky about a few things. I am not willing to live in an apartment with lots of neighbors, I want a comfortable place to be able to work at home some days, and I like to be close to things to walk to and close to the metrotrain so I can get to work easily. I can find places that sacrifice a few features and save 100-300 a month, but moving to a similar place doesnt seem worth the trouble for the small amount of savings.I really dont want to be renting forever. Mainly, I would like to have a house with my own four walls, the stability that comes from owning a house, and the freedom to make the house my own. But, my present savings and income would only allow me to buy a condo or small townhouse in a less ideal area, and that does not seem much of an improvement over renting a better place like I currently have. My hope is within the next 1-3 years, I will be promoted at work with a 15k salary increase, and the salary increase will put me in the option to buy a house about 500k. My current savings about 50k could use some improvement to keep future mortgage payments lower.So, I have two options:1 I can stay here my rent should not increase and eventually my income increase will make the price comfortable. I will have a very small income increase every year, then a larger one when I get the promotion-which could be anywhere from 8 months to 3 years. I would not be able to save a lot towards buying a home and I would need to keep my expenses low until my salary increased.2 I found another gem: a friends contact is renting out the lower level of her house for 900 a month including utilities. There is not a lot within walking distance, but it is just blocks from the the metrotrain so it would be easy to get into the center of the city. The owner is a very sweet retired woman, and is very willing accommodate me to make me comfortable there for example, there was furniture I could chose to keep there or she could move, she got a fridge so I would have my own, etc.. It is over 800 sqft, with a separate bedroom and large bathroom- my college apartment was smaller than that. I would be sharing laundry facilities on my level and the kitchen upstairs, but I would have a fridge and microwave myself. The area was recently remodeled and is in really good shape. There are a few small windows, but not a ton of natural light. I would have to get a storage unit for some of my stuff, and change my address and all the other stuff that comes with moving. But, I would save about 1,400 a month.So, personal finance, what would you decide?edit: I signed a 10 month lease for the house share, and I will be able to put down a much larger down payment by next year! Whether my salary increases or not, it will go a long way. Thanks all!  <response>: It seems like a no-brainer. If your goal is to eventually buy a house and you need a down payment, you should move into the new place. If you can keep your spending the same, you could have a 20 down payment in 3 years. Also, raises are never guaranteed. 