<prompt> Human: Many personal finance blogs I read say that your houserent should not be more than 25-30 of your take home pay. After taxes my monthly take home pay is 2400. Which would mean that hypothetically speaking I shouldnt be paying more than 600-700month on rent or a mortgage. That amount doesnt even include cable or utilities. Rent in my area for a one person apartment is easily over 1,200month and a mortgage for a small condo in the decent areas of town arent much cheaper. However, according to Wikipedia the median income for a single person household is like 47,000year. How are people affording to live and maintain a house? Im single and in my mid-20s... will I ever be able to afford to live by myself realistically if I stay right around this income level? Edit to add: I cant just move to a cheaper area unless I want a 2 hour long commute. Thank you all for the tips and perspectives!  <response>: Those guidelines are usually based on gross income are they not? Pre tax? 