<prompt> Human: I am a recent grad that has accepted a position in a bigger city in California. As of now I am being paid at a gross amount of 48k without OT. I am a 22 yo male, have little to no bills with free housing with parent and have a credit score of 720. My parent thinks I should save for a house instead of renting in the city, and commute about an hour and a half every day. Rent in the city costs about 800 - 950 for a one bedroom.My question to the wise redditors of personal finance is, is it worth it to beat up my car to save on rent by commuting to work? Or should I just get an apartment in the city and take public transportation to work?Also, at my income level, how long do you think it would take to purchase a small home if I began saving today? P.S. I have claimed one dependent person myself on my w2, if I began saving for said house, should I alter this?Thanks in advance, I can elaborate more if needed.  <response>: 800-950 is a perfectly reasonable amount to spend on housing on an 48k salary. Also spending 3 hours commuting every day sounds like absolute hell. How much is that time worth to you? Probably more than the amount of money youll save. 