<prompt> Human: Im 20, and looking for my first apartment right now. Ive lived with my parents for nearly 2 years after college dropped out, not returning to school, and paid off my 23k in student loans, so I am completely debt free. I drive an old beater, so no car payment. I will probably need to replace it with a new used car within the next year or so. In my area, 1bd1ba apartments that are nice and not in a shitty area are 1200-1500 a month.I am very fortunate to be working in tech. I make 4k a month, after taxes and retirement savings. I work from home, so I dont need to commute. My health insurance is covered by my employer 100, so I dont have to pay for that. My monthly expenses are the following:- 10 Netflix- 30 for gas- 70 Verizon Wireless- 100 food, since my parents and I switch off on paying for meals- 108 car insuranceI currently have 20k in savings e-fund, Im a bit paranoid. I found an apartment that is pretty decent for 1293 a month, not including utilities. Im thinking that the total would be around 1440 after utilities. This means that Ill be paying 36 of my income for living expenses, which is over the 30 recommendation that Ive seen on here. I really need privacy, so I dont want to have a roommate. Am I being stupid? Is paying 36 way too much to have the luxury of living alone? Some people have told me to spend more on rent now because Im young, and my salary will go up in the future Im in line to hopefully be promoted and get 15k raise in July, but I dont want to make decisions based on things not 100 guaranteed. Im open to having a roommate if absolutely necessary, but Im not sure if I would be financially sound without one? Any advice is appreciated! :  <response>: Some people have told me to spend more on rent now because Im young, and my salary will go up in the future This is a horrible idea. Never spend money because you expect to make more in the future. Otherwise your lifestyle will always be chasing your supposed future salary. Live off what you make now. Then if you get a raise you can decide the appropriate way to change your lifestyle based on that raise. 