<prompt> Human: I just got my first full-time salaried position. I am looking to move out of my parents house to an apartment. I am wondering what the range of rent I should be paying is? I have no debt and a very good credit score. I know the rule of thumb is 30, but is that of gross income or after tax? Are utilities included in the 30? I also read that having or not having debt changes things? Basically, I dont think I can set up my IRA until I know how much I am going to be putting down for rent. Any advice and experience is welcome.  <response>: There is no magic number. Although Ive always heard 30 gross as the MAXIMUM, I currently pay almost 40 of my gross to rent utilities and still manage to max an IRA and invest in my 401kother savings. As someone who lived cheaply immediately after college and has since ramped up the rent dramatically after moving to a new city and getting a much better job, I say keep it as low as you possibly can while still being comfortable, for as long as you can. If you can tolerate it and your parents dont mind, Id suggest living with them for at least 6 more months while saving an extra 1000month.Also, Id hypothetically set up your IRA and then see how much you will have left over, and budget off that. Automatically saving money is the best way to do it. It never touches your checking account and you just adapt to living off a certain amount. Figure out how much it will take per pay period to max your IRA, then determine what you can spend on the rest of your budget. 