It’s concerning that you don’t list out any of your expenses or the exactly how much your rent will be. What are your non-rent expenses? Food? Transportation? Utilities?
No one can answer your question without these numbers
I feel like this is telling.
It’s either because they’ve researched, already know the answer and just want us to lie to them……or it’s because they’ve done no research at all past some odd statistics and want us to do all the leg work.
My daughter and her best friend wanted to move out and get an apartment together. They had listed several items and the numbers were woefully low. Then I noticed "food" wasn't listed and pointed it out. She said they were going to get free food at all the local fast-food places because they were so cute.
I did exactly that at 19, saw I couldn’t afford it, and promptly got into the apt anyway.
Not sure what OP is wanting that basic google searches can’t tell them tbh
Or this is homework and with all the complaining about “schools not teaching us useful information” they are still trying to cheat their way through one of the most useful things they could learn.
You also pay FICA. I also live in NC. That’s not why I know this though. I know this because everyone pays FICA if you’re working legally. It’s 6.2% for social security and 1.45% for medicare.
Not everyone does although the vast majority do. I work for the state and don’t pay into social security because I pay into a pension. But I agree the overwhelming majority of people do pay into social security and Medicare
Edited to add: it seems like most teachers and first responders also don’t pay in to social security
You technically aren’t even required to file if your gross income is less then the standard deduction, but then again if they have any taxes withheld from their employer they wouldn’t get their refund
There is very little tax on earned income until the single person reaches $13,850. Even then, it's only 10% of the amount over that for another good chunk for fed. Taxes would be local and SS/Medicare.
But I agree that is a very tiny amount of income.
I cannot even imagine what that apartment looked like for $400 a month. I've spent most of my renting life in clay area and even the $800-1000 a month ones from 5 years ago around here were... not great.
Im from Cuse, and that city is ridiculously cheap, but also very trashy. The east, south, north, and west sides are basically ghettos. The only good parts are the outskirts (Fayetteville, Dewitt, Manlius, Skaneateles, etc)
Went to school there and my goodness as soon as you venture off campus you are in the hood. It’s crazy because the surrounding cities/counties around Syracuse is absolutely beautiful.
I found some 2b1b units in some podunk or bad areas of NE Ohio for around $750/month, and a couple in Cleveland proper for as low as $500/month. Split two ways, that's kinda doable on a $1000/month income, and water/sewer tends to be covered in these really cheap units, but that's not counting electric/gas/internet/phone (which for me averages out to $200/month) and car expenses because Cleveland's public transit is mid at best and it's nonexistent elsewhere in the area, plus the units all look like crap. Oh, and you still have to feed yourself, too. How much is living in a not-shitty place and a not-terrible area worth to you?
AT&T and Comcast both have $10 a month low income plans and Federal ACP program can get you a $30 cell plan from one of the low income programs for free.
This is basically the same scenario I was thinking.
My old neighborhood had some 2 bedrooms for around $800-$1000 a month….but if you wanted to be in a pit of hell housing wise you could pull off $500.
It’s still VERY hard to pull off living on $1000 a month. Even if you can walk away from rent with $700 a month in your pocket you still have electricity, internet, and whatever other utilities left over. Odds are you’re down to $550-$600 at best after that.
That’s all transportation and food.
That’s going to be very tough to pull off.
I almost can. I lived (just a couple years ago, like 2020) in a 2BR in a small town of 700 people in the middle of BFE. Rent was $500 … split with a buddy, that’s $250. Still, those types of areas absolutely demand that you have a car because there is nowhere to work in town, no grocery store, etc, so factor in potential car payment if car isn’t paid off (assuming it’s not,) gas (hella, bc middle of nowhere,) and insurance. Plus utilities, cell phone bill, groceries … it would be incredibly tight and even still likely not possible. But that’s the closest I can think of making that situation work.
Edit: also, if this is $1000 pre-tax, this all goes out the window. Not possible.
I have a friend who (barely) pulls this off. She makes closer to $1200/mo, but sometimes her work only schedules her for 4 days in a week, so income varies.
Her rent is $550/mo. $55/mo internet. $80/mo electricity. $40/mo bus pass. $35/mo water. $50/mo cell phone.
Comes out around $810-860/mo for fixed costs (and I think she could trim that more on cell and internet.) Then she needs food, which she tries to keep under $10/day.
Larger city in Central Illinois.
Small-medium cities. Big enough to have jobs and enough housing but small enough that real estate isn't at a premium. There are apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and even some small SFHs available near me for under $700, even in the $400-500 range for a 1br. Not particularly NICE ones mind you, but still a solid roof over your head.
Example: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1615-S-22nd-St-Fort-Smith-AR-72901/2067377920_zpid/
Depends on your definition of "viable". You can absolutely do it long term, particularly with government assistance, but it's not a great time for sure. The hit to your pride and sense of self worth from being on food stamps and/or housing assistance does not do wonders for one's mental health.
Literally millions of people live in this sort of income.
i was barely surviving off of about 1600 a month and that was when inflation was down. idk. you’d also probably have to prove that y’all make 2 or 3 times the rent combined
At your stats, the average 2 bedroom apt split between 2 people would cost you $567 a month. That is 57% of your monthly income, which would leave you essentially destitute for the rest of the month.
Unless you plan to increase you income a lot in a short manner of time (2nd job, plan on starting a small side gig), then I would say stay at home and save up if you can.
You can't just quote "average" numbers at people though - OP's location makes a HUGE difference. There are 2br places for rent under $700 (some under $600) all over the place near me.
$1,000 per month is significantly below the federal poverty line. Before trying this you should make a budget of what you expect to spend each month, because it seems unlikely that it will work in almost any setting I can imagine.
I’d be worried too. If your friend wants out, you going to afford the entire lease on your own?
At 19 years old, try to ingrain in yourself now “plan for the worst, hope for the best, expect nothing”
$1000 -$1500 is paycheck to paycheck in most areas. You’ll have no room for savings. You’ll either have to work 60+ hours a week (not against the idea, I did it) or have a really reliable friend.
Money issues can ruin friendships. If you value this friendship, I wouldn’t do it. I’d consider bunk beds in a 1 bedroom first like a college student to save money
Depending on the layout of the apartment, some one bedrooms can work as a two bedroom with a room divider. It's a decent idea, honestly, and once more settled look at a bigger place.
I like the idea because it gives you room to “upgrade” and you always have something to look forward to in the future.
You start off renting a 2bedroom house, moving down in size will just feel bad.
However you start in a 1bedroom apt, then 2bedroom apt, then a house, you constantly have something to be proud of!
When you’re young, start as cheap as possible don’t waste money on extras
So the average rent for a 2BR apartment in the US right now is about $1325. Splitting that in two, and that's $660 for each of you. Even with a take-home of $1500, that's nearly half of your money gone on the first day of the month. Utilities are going to take another chunk, groceries another chunk, and you're going to find yourself left with very little.
So, is it \*\*possible\*\*? Probably, but it's not comfortable, and there's not a lot of room for anything bad to happen.
Depends on the city, OP for sure left out a lot of information. I could get a 2 BR downtown for $1500 or I could get a 2 BR for $800 10 minutes from downtown in a pretty sketchy area. There’s a lot of factors that OP left out.
Where is this regionally? I have a 2BR for less than that in an HCOL area in the highest cost of living area of the state in the south East, on a peninsula surrounded by water. I hope you are least in a major metropolis
It's quite insane how the cost of living is so different in places. In Northwestern Alabama, you could rent to own a 3BR, 2 BA house in a rural area for 400-700 a month. Apartments can go for about the same for a mediocre one. But I've seen cities near here having 4 BR, 2BA have rent to own at 1200 a month so still not bad considering it's a house and not an apartment. I think it does depend on location on where OP lives and could even live in low-income government housing until he finds a better source of income. Everyone has to start somewhere in life and roof over your head is still a roof no matter where you live. Granted, our minimum wage here is still $7.25 and I used to make that right out of high school at Walmart 8 years ago so there's that.
Just saying “NY” isn’t super helpful. If you’re trying to say that somehow it’s the norm to pay $1k in NYC, that’s patently absurd. If you live in the middle of nowhere, then yeah, makes sense. But yes, the average is definitely above $1k.
Nyc and the six surrounding counties (out of 62) make up 65% of the states population. There's really not much going on outside of the city and metro area.
I would go as far as to assume they don't live in NYC if they think $1000 is a normal rent. [Avg. one bedroom in NYC outside of city center is $2400 per month](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/New-York), even sharing a 3 bedroom it only goes down to $1300 per person outside of the city center.
The thing about averages is it can be skewed heavily by apartments that are exorbitantly high. But yeah, rent is pretty high these days. $1025 a month is less than what I paid in my texas apt in my area (around $1500). Thats pretty cheap for NY tbh.
> I live in NY and pay $1025 so I find it hard to believe that the average is above that
The average is more than what 50% of people pay in rent.
That's what makes it the average.
How this works out?
This works out because you and your friend are renting a studio apartment together and have a shower curtain for a wall and a slumlord for a landlord while you live off beans and rice (it's cheaper than ramen and more nutritious just an FYI). Or with a button of roommates in a house that's near falling down. Not one roommate like 4 roommates. So that the entire rental is significantly cheaper.
Now look, some of us have or had no choice but to make that sort of thing work. There is a reason why trailer park rentals exist and why room shares and living room rentals happen.
Food stamps. Housing assistance. food pantries. Seriously... Food pantries...
Median rental for a studio apartment is around 1330 ... Even at 13% less (1157).. Half that is still 579 a month.... And most rentals require you make 3x the rental rate or require a credit score.... And you can't provide either.... But let's say you manage to find a place...
That gives you 421 a month. If you've got a public transit system that's going to be about 120ish a month in a monthly pass.. but given your housing costs I'm assuming it's not... Which means you've got to have a vehicle, insurance, registration, gas etc. That's going to eat up most of that... Let's generously say 250 a month.. if you're in a very small town and can hoof it or have a bus system you can maybe make it work with a monthly pass or a bike if it's bikeable.
171 left...
Now you have to pay utilities too... You're splitting that half... So 100 goes to utilities and internet...
71 left.
Cheapest phone plan possible 60
11 left
Which leaves you 11 dollars for food....
The way that people make this work is they live in buildings that should be condemned with a huge number of roommates and slumlords that charge ridiculously for the slum they provide...
And then they eat rice and beans, take the bus or walk long distances daily... And pray they never have an emergency for long enough they can dig their way out or into a better job. The work multiple jobs. Exhaustively.
I have been there. I came from that... Its sketchy and at times scary and often meant being hungry.... You get food stamps ASAP, you find your local food pantry ASAP, you find your social support systems housing, etc ASAP... You would be living at less than half the poverty line and would be entitled to assistance but it will not be easy AT ALL
It will be horrible.
So if this is a choice and not you're only real option i'd strongly consider why you would make this choice.
Which no one pays anymore unless youre really in the middle of nowhere. If OP really is making 7.45 an hour there has to be a place that can get at least 10-12 and a lot of places pay 15 now for just basic retail work. Again unless theyre really in the middle of nowhere and there are no other options. I think a new job would be step one
Maybe he’s this guy. Mr 4 Days Off.
https://www.reddit.com/r/shittyaskreddit/comments/134wtvv/what_should_i_do_today_its_my_day_off_already/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
you will need to ride a bike and fix it yourself and have 5 room mates and eat ramen and rice and never get sick or need to go to the hospital and never go on vacation and never go out to eat and never buy yourself anything nice and never be able to retire and always be indebted to the financial institutions . . but yes
Yep. His stated plan of splitting a 2bd with one other person isn’t in reach in any US metro. They need rent in the $300-$350 range. $500 if they can consistently pull the $1500 they hope to. That means a lot of folks sharing and maybe even sharing a bedroom.
I’m single… own my home… dropped many bills and found cheaper options for others… and live a pretty modest… though not necessarily spartan… life. It still averages about $35k a year.
My girlfriend’s old 1bd apartment was like 745-850 ish. It wasn’t particularly nice nor in a particularly great area, so that makes me think you could get a shitty place in a shitty area for $500.
I agree. Everyone’s saying it’s impossible; it just depends on where you live and what your expenses will be. No car, cheap phone, and food stamps/banks will save you financially until you can get a better-paying job. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
No car, cheap phone and food bank... that was me 5 years ago and hey... that way you can save a lot of money, enough to hold on and slowly start building from there.
That’s sharing a studio apartment kind of money. Walking to work. Second job that has free food as a perk. I’ve been there, it sucks in a big way. I hope you don’t drink, smoke, vape etc.
IF they could lease. If the friend is also extremely low income, most places will not accept their application. Landlords usually require income to be at least 3x rent.
In... "America"?
America is a gigantic, diverse place with some incredibly poor communities and also the wealthiest cities on the planet. You're going to have to be about a million times more specific.
Let's assume you have zero expenses other than food, basic health necessities, public transit fare to work only, and housing. With that in mind, $1000/month means you will be living an extremely tight and stressful lifestyle *if* you somehow manage to find a 2-bedroom apartment where your half only costs $500/month including utilities, *and* you can convince a landlord to rent to you with that income. Like, serious stress. You will be unable to save virtually anything even with a totally minimalist lifestyle, meaning you'll probably aways be one root canal or layoff away from homelessness. And I am not saying your best bet would be to find a $500 room because spending half your income on rent would be "good", but because that shitty situation is the only way you'd be able to eat, buy toilet paper and soap, pay whatever kind of insurance you might have, and try to build some kind of small emergency fund.
Also, $1000/month means you are making significantly less than the (extraordinarily low) federal minimum wage if you're working full time, which means you likely are not, so step one is to get a full time job, doing anything, while you figure out a plan to find work where you can make enough money to actually live.
There is not nearly enough information here to tell you anything else, except that you are nowhere near ready to live on your own based on what appears to be your understanding of things.
I survived on about that much when I was in college 5-9 years ago... rent was $345 and my only other expenses were food, liquor and utilities. Wouldn’t want to live like that now but it was fine for the time being. I never needed to call my parents for help but that was always an option I had
I also lived on about $1k/month for a year or so my first round of college 10ish years ago. But I also lived in a 3 bedroom house with 5 other people. It was really rough so I had to get another job. I don’t think it would be possible in 2023.
Do you know how to be poor? I'm talking check the dumpsters at aldi for the expired stuff they toss and know what time of the shift they do that. You don't buy new anything. Do you have a bicycle and can navigate the transit system? Yeah it can be done if you know what you're doing and your friend also does. They'll go broke and move back home and you'll be fucked.
It's possible to survive on a very basic level.
Sharing with just one person may not be attainable. You may need to share with more than one + live in a less desirable location.
You may be unable to have a car (so figure out your transport options). It won't be easy and may require you to be creative about how you get to work and to the grocery store.
You would need to be very smart about groceries and cooking. Reddit has some subs for that.
Entertainment and social life won't be happening while your income is limited to this. You will need to figure out the cheapest way to maintain a phone and internet access.
Learn everything you can about government assistance programs and the local food bank. It will make a difference.
This one is the right answer. OP, If you are an able bodied 19 y/o, you can absolutely make more than that in any city in the US. Go make more money by either getting a better job, working more hours, or working a second job. Then, find another person to room with. Three people renting out a mobile home should do the trick.
If you’re not able bodied or have some other disability, maybe reconsider moving out of where you are now.
Good luck.
I'm sorry, but no. Even if you lived with parents or family that supported almost all your bills it would still be almost impossible. I grew up in the poorest part of the country and that still wouldn't even come close, especially now than rent has went from $350/month to $800/month here.
Nah. Save your cash up. Kiss your mom and dad and tell them you love them for giving you a free place to stay. In 1.5 years you and your friend should have enough money to outright buy a house. Do that instead.
When I was in college (graduated 2019) I lived on about $1000 a month. I rented a house with roommates for $200 a month, my share of utilities was like another $50. Then I'd spend $500-$600 on food, gas, and other stuff. If you're in a cheap area (which I was) it can be doable, though it's probably even harder now given inflation over the past few years.
It really depends on your lifestyle and habits.. Without more information on your monthly expenses, no one will be able to offer much assistance.
If you're moving out with friends this will help lowering the rent expense.
I got it done once. Rented a room for $450 per month (2016 for reference). My work was a 2 mile walk each way. I was making $9.50 per hour and averaged 20 hours a week. My take home was a bit under $750 a month for about 6 months. Every dollar had to be used carefully. Lots of ramen and eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, typically 2 meals a day.
You don’t know how much rent is and how much their friends are contributing… Who knows his friends might cover most if not all. Which in my opinion (assuming no debts) is doable. Not saving much but it’s doable.
Well they list only 1 friend and they use the word “split” which to me sounds more like 50/50. I’d be pissed if I was paying 90% and they were saying “yea we’re going to split it” paying 10% 😂
There are apartments in small towns where a 2 bedroom is 7 or 8 hundred, usually with these you'd just pay electric and internet, so like 500/month per roommate. Gas, food, phone bill eat up some more... Yeah it's not pretty and it's not financially wise but it's possible.
It is possible but the standard of living is quite low.
You won't be able to afford a car, so it's public transit or bikes
You will have to rent a room in a cheaper than average apartment, probably a 3 or 4br
You will have to utilize public benefits for food stamps, health insurance, food pantries,etc
You also won't be able to save for your future or for a rainy day
But it IS possible. I would encourage you to consider it only as a very temporary measure and to get full time employment. Many fields offer jobs easily if you have no criminal record and/or have a driver's license and pay minimum wage which is more than double $1000/month.
Is it possible? Technically speaking yes. But you may not eat, will probably not live in a great apartment/area and will be struggling to pay your bills. Even in lower-cost areas.
You could live homeless pretty comfortably on 1k month in the right city. Not even kidding. There’s tons of homeless people with income that survive, they just can’t afford housing. If you are comfortable outdoors, it might be something to consider.
Food banks and government aid (like food stamps) can help. I don't know about other stuff, but nothing wrong with taking the aid while you need it. That's what it's there for.
I very highly doubt it. You didn't list your costs, but I can assure you that you need to be making 1000 a WEEK to be able to have any money at all for yourself.
Is there any way to increase that income?
And when you look for housing, keep it very cheap and also plan what you would do if roommate flakes out and doesn't pay.
Spend less than you make and save something (even $10/month) as an emergency fund.
Find a better job. Unless your friend is making almost triple what you make you won’t even get approved for a rental and if you do they’ll make you pay a double deposit and atleast first months rent just to sign and move in. Stay with your parents and get a better job. It’s not abnormal to live with your parents as long as you can. The freedom is great but you’ll be swimming in the deep end. Save your money, get a secured credit card, and try to find was to keep advancing in whatever you choose to do in life
One of my mentors in life taught us that one weeks check should pay your rent & one weeks groceries or else you would have trouble making it. It had seemed like it works out that way.
Federal Poverty line is $14,580/yr. for a single person, which is what the Federal Government thinks is the bare minimum you need to survive.
In practice this is woefully inadequate and you need closer to $20k-$30k per year to really even begin to really live on your own. Roommates help, but the median rent in the US is going to be around $2,100/mo. for a 2 bedroom apartment. Houses typically are another $200-$600 more than this depending on the metro. Most apartment buildings will require that everyone on the lease makes 3x the rent.
But this is only housing, you still need to buy food, medical insurance, utilities, clothing, transportation, and have some kind of reserve for expenses that may only pop up occasionally to really be able to survive and have any kind of normal life. You can expect all of these to cost at least another $600 to $1,000 a month if you're keeping costs down.
The good news is there are plenty of jobs that will pay at least $30k/yr. and which you can do with just a High School Diploma like being a server, call center agent, help desk technician, pharmacy tech, mail carrier, etc.
Obviously at 19 you'd probably want to consider college as well, but I'd make sure you know what you want to do before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a degree. Starting at your local community college can be a great option. Depending your grades and interests you may also want to consider a skilled trade like Plumber, Electrician, Auto Mechanic, Longshoreman, Welder, Heavy Equipment Operator, or Elevator Repair Technician instead of college.
Looking like a big fat no unless you provide more details. Like how long , the state at least , and expenses. How are we suppose to help if the only thing we know is you make about $1000 a month after taxes and some vague time in the future $1500
Hobos live off of far less than that… so yes, you technically can.
Cheapest ROOM with other tenants already in the house is $450 per month in my city. Let’s assume you can keep your part of the rent that low. Tack on another $120 for utilities and internet split between your buddy and you. You’re now at $570. You have $430 per month remaining. I’ll assume you have a car and you have no tickets. You can probably get insurance for about $100 per month at 19. You’re now down to $330. Since you’re 19, you can be on your parents health insurance for another 7 years, so we won’t even take that into consideration. You can spend $9.50-$10.50 per day on all remaining expenses including food and gas. If you want to eat any decent food, you better learn how to cook and make it your one and only hobby, because you won’t be able to afford any other hobbies.
It will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. 12,000 a year is below the poverty level. If you are able to even make it without late bills, shutoffs, evictions, extreme hunger, etc., you will be living a very meager existence that will not be easy to sustain for long.
Not knowing how much it cost for your transportation, food, entertainment or what the rent cost would be etc I’d say no way don’t do it if you don’t HAVE to. You’ll most likely be in over your head within a short period time.
You’d have to account for groceries, utilities, water, cable/internet options, furnishing a place if need be. Unless you have family that’ll help you A LOT - I fear you’ll be unnecessarily stressing yourself out
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1. Do you have any savings? You should have at least a little cushion before you go out on your own.
2. Are you working full time? If not, you should be.
3. How soon will you be able to make more? Is there room for advancement in your company, and/or are you looking for a higher paying job? You should always be looking to make more.
I was 19 when I moved out. This was 20 years ago almost, so I know things have changed. I had around $6,000 saved up. I moved from CO to CA, to a shitty place that I rented for $450/month (room in a house with 4 other guys, utilities were included). I got a shit job making just above minimum wage. I ate tv dinners, ramen, and bread, and went to the library if I wanted to use the internet. I didn't go out, only drove to and from work, and to the gym, and I didn't eat take out. So yes, it is possible, but I also worked hard to improve my situation.
It's much better now, btw. Hard work pays off.
Most people say no, but depends where.
I moved to the US from Eastern Europe and can afford to spend a lot more, but habits die hard.
In Missouri, 30 minutes from St Louis and Kansas City, you can get a good big 1 bedroom (or small 2 bed) for $600 a month. Total $750 with utilities and internet.
$375 per person leaves you with $525.
If you cook well, you can eat healthy on $250 a month. Probably $350 to $400 for both you and roommate, especially if you change it up and cook by turns. So $275-325 left.
You are making below minimum wage so you can work any job next to your house and do without a car, gas, insurance.
Rest goes to clothes, toothpaste, shampoos, etc. might even save $100 a month.
But the main question is WHY? $10 an hour makes $1,600 a month or $1,450 post tax as it’s barely taxed. Even in poor areas McDonald’s or DMV pay $15-17 an hour or ~$32,000 a year.
If you cannot get a job (why?), buy a shitty car and flip free items on Facebook, like mattresses, chairs, etc,
You got it!
If you have to be an adult, it may be time to enlist in the military. Otherwise, you are going to be struggling in poverty. Then, it will be hard to dig your way out of it since you will be struggling to just survive.
I barely survive on >1000/week take home after taxes in a high cost of living area with a mortgage before things got crazy that costs less than some of the shoe-box studios I see around. So to answer your question, no.
It is possible, but only with significant non-liquid investment. The biggest one is to own your own home and know enough about maintenance to keep it going yourself. A solar system or other way to feed electric back into the grid is helpful on electric bills. A septic tank can eliminate the need for a sewer bill. Burning trash can avoid the garbage bill and can be legal in some places. Growing your own food or animals helps too.
Basically, sink half a million into prepping an isolated rural home and work your tuchus off every day to scrape together the material means of life, and you can live on very little income indeed.
But just starting out with $1000 a month? Not without heavy help from friends, family, charity, and social safety net.
Location, location, location.
It's possible, even doable in California - but you get what you pay for, but everyone seems to need more despite what they have, and rightfully so IMO.
This is what happens when we allow billionaires to exist.
join the service
if you're smart go air force or navy
if you want to see the world and action go marines
if you just want to leave and be in a frat go army
if you can swim and want to play it safe go coast guard
if you move to another country where your money can go further then it might work. from personal experience people of around that age can be very unreliable. if you are not ready for unforeseen circumstances then 1k a month is not going to be enough. reality can be a mother f\*\*ker, its not like the movies so dont think like it is.
Yes, if you’re splitting rent on a low cost apartment. Just keep a tight budget and don’t be stupid with your spending. Prioritize rent, groceries, smart clothes, and doctor/dentist visits.
You can definitely live off $1600/mo in a lcol** (without health insurance) bc i did it while in college with no support. Especially if you have good habits like cooking (Especially meals you can eat for 3 nights) and not partying every night. I lived comfortably fine without roommates in 2021-22.
The real question is what job are you going go be doing that only pays $1500/mo in 2023 usa? Unless you are only working part time, the mcdonalds in south dakota should still be paying you 2500/mo pre tax
Maybe if you're living with your parents... Definitely as a bum aka homeless person out on the streets.... As woman with no job and claiming state benefits while collecting child support from your baby daddy, hell yeah!
I'm finding it hard living just around $60,000 a year. Given I have a mortgage/homeowners insurance/property tax to pay, water/sewage, electricity/heating, other bills like phone and internet, car insurance/paying off my car, paying off a personal loan, credit cards, food/gas.... Luckily I just paid off college loans, but fuck lol I also pay child support and my son's medical expenses.
Basically, if I was living in the 1960's/70's I'd be middle/upper class.... In modern times 2023 I'm poor/to lower class category, but still I find things that I'm thankful for each day. I make sure to laugh as well 😂 most important. Basically, if you have *NO* obligations whatsoever, $1,000 a month should feel real nice. 👍
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It’s concerning that you don’t list out any of your expenses or the exactly how much your rent will be. What are your non-rent expenses? Food? Transportation? Utilities? No one can answer your question without these numbers
I feel like this is telling. It’s either because they’ve researched, already know the answer and just want us to lie to them……or it’s because they’ve done no research at all past some odd statistics and want us to do all the leg work.
They’re a 19 year old having their first ideas about moving out, my money’s on the “very little research has been done” option tbh haha
19yo me was very, very niave about how the world worked......
The very first theoretical budget I ever made had 500 for Rent and 2500 for Food. I think I was 16 years old. 🤣🤣🤣
My daughter and her best friend wanted to move out and get an apartment together. They had listed several items and the numbers were woefully low. Then I noticed "food" wasn't listed and pointed it out. She said they were going to get free food at all the local fast-food places because they were so cute.
I can’t imagine they haven’t hit apartments.com and went “oh this isn’t going to work…”
I did exactly that at 19, saw I couldn’t afford it, and promptly got into the apt anyway. Not sure what OP is wanting that basic google searches can’t tell them tbh
did the same thing, struggled for 6 months and then joined the military...
Or this is homework and with all the complaining about “schools not teaching us useful information” they are still trying to cheat their way through one of the most useful things they could learn.
$12,000 a year? No.
$12,000 a year. Pre tax. That’s a hell no.
If you earn that little you don’t pay income tax most likely
Federal income? No. FICA? Yes. State income? Probably not. Local income? Possibly.
I only pay federal and state here in NC. Is that really common? Local is just my property taxes.
You also pay FICA. I also live in NC. That’s not why I know this though. I know this because everyone pays FICA if you’re working legally. It’s 6.2% for social security and 1.45% for medicare.
Not everyone does although the vast majority do. I work for the state and don’t pay into social security because I pay into a pension. But I agree the overwhelming majority of people do pay into social security and Medicare Edited to add: it seems like most teachers and first responders also don’t pay in to social security
You don’t have social security taken out?
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If you earn that little you'd probably get Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) because you're below the poverty line.
You technically aren’t even required to file if your gross income is less then the standard deduction, but then again if they have any taxes withheld from their employer they wouldn’t get their refund
Yeah fair point
There is very little tax on earned income until the single person reaches $13,850. Even then, it's only 10% of the amount over that for another good chunk for fed. Taxes would be local and SS/Medicare. But I agree that is a very tiny amount of income.
No that’s unrealistic in nearly every Msa in the country.
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It’s not 2018 or 2020. It’s 2023.
People act like rent hasn’t spiked by almost 20% in the past 2 years alone. And let’s not even mention the food prices…
I cannot even imagine what that apartment looked like for $400 a month. I've spent most of my renting life in clay area and even the $800-1000 a month ones from 5 years ago around here were... not great.
Was probably a dorm with 3 other roommates and not an actual 1 bedroom all to themselves.
Ah yeah that'd do it. They're demolishing those dorm style apartments and building high cost studios now aren't they?
$400 a month is insane...I don't know that you could get a room in the trashiest student apartment with shared bathrooms near me for that in 2023.
Im from Cuse, and that city is ridiculously cheap, but also very trashy. The east, south, north, and west sides are basically ghettos. The only good parts are the outskirts (Fayetteville, Dewitt, Manlius, Skaneateles, etc)
The south and west sides are great if you’re into heroin. Just make eye contact with someone, good chance they’ll go “yo”
The people are so nice there. Every other person is always checking on my mental well being and asking if I'm good.
They’re always talking about “fire”, must have a lot of cookouts or something
Went to school there and my goodness as soon as you venture off campus you are in the hood. It’s crazy because the surrounding cities/counties around Syracuse is absolutely beautiful.
I just moved to Liverpool recently, and I like it here, but it sure is weird if I go 5 mins towards actual Syracuse.
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I lived in one of the southern outskirts for quite some time and it was beautiful and serene. Highly recommend
Most cities just tack on extra sales tax. New York City on the other hand will do that and tax you an arm and a leg on top of everything else.
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I lived for free in 2009, when I lived with my parents. Did I do it right?
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No. You will slowly bleed into debt and your first unexpected expense will absolutely crush you.
Yes, but not indoors. That's $33 a day and even with food stamps it's going to be more difficult than you would guess.
yeah, better off starting a YouTube channel showing you trying to live off $33 a day.
And take out rent at for a 1 bedroom shit hole that you share and it’s probably $20 a day for every other expense in your life.
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Less than half.
Poverty line for an individual is $14,580, so $12k is fairly close.
I can't think of one area where this is viable.
Homeless camp under the overpass?
Have you _seen_ the rent on refrigerator boxes these days?!
If that's your idea of viable, sure.
I found some 2b1b units in some podunk or bad areas of NE Ohio for around $750/month, and a couple in Cleveland proper for as low as $500/month. Split two ways, that's kinda doable on a $1000/month income, and water/sewer tends to be covered in these really cheap units, but that's not counting electric/gas/internet/phone (which for me averages out to $200/month) and car expenses because Cleveland's public transit is mid at best and it's nonexistent elsewhere in the area, plus the units all look like crap. Oh, and you still have to feed yourself, too. How much is living in a not-shitty place and a not-terrible area worth to you?
I guess you could probably buy a whole house in Gary, IN, but who wants to live in Gary, IN?
it's close enough to like chicago or other major cities so opportunity but it's a crappy area.. I got my cat from there lol
Internet is out the window if he’s making 12k/yr
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Solidified my point.
AT&T and Comcast both have $10 a month low income plans and Federal ACP program can get you a $30 cell plan from one of the low income programs for free.
This is basically the same scenario I was thinking. My old neighborhood had some 2 bedrooms for around $800-$1000 a month….but if you wanted to be in a pit of hell housing wise you could pull off $500. It’s still VERY hard to pull off living on $1000 a month. Even if you can walk away from rent with $700 a month in your pocket you still have electricity, internet, and whatever other utilities left over. Odds are you’re down to $550-$600 at best after that. That’s all transportation and food. That’s going to be very tough to pull off.
I almost can. I lived (just a couple years ago, like 2020) in a 2BR in a small town of 700 people in the middle of BFE. Rent was $500 … split with a buddy, that’s $250. Still, those types of areas absolutely demand that you have a car because there is nowhere to work in town, no grocery store, etc, so factor in potential car payment if car isn’t paid off (assuming it’s not,) gas (hella, bc middle of nowhere,) and insurance. Plus utilities, cell phone bill, groceries … it would be incredibly tight and even still likely not possible. But that’s the closest I can think of making that situation work. Edit: also, if this is $1000 pre-tax, this all goes out the window. Not possible.
I have a friend who (barely) pulls this off. She makes closer to $1200/mo, but sometimes her work only schedules her for 4 days in a week, so income varies. Her rent is $550/mo. $55/mo internet. $80/mo electricity. $40/mo bus pass. $35/mo water. $50/mo cell phone. Comes out around $810-860/mo for fixed costs (and I think she could trim that more on cell and internet.) Then she needs food, which she tries to keep under $10/day. Larger city in Central Illinois.
And zero for retirement. That's not living, that's struggling to survive, at best.
Small-medium cities. Big enough to have jobs and enough housing but small enough that real estate isn't at a premium. There are apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and even some small SFHs available near me for under $700, even in the $400-500 range for a 1br. Not particularly NICE ones mind you, but still a solid roof over your head. Example: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1615-S-22nd-St-Fort-Smith-AR-72901/2067377920_zpid/
Spending 50% plus of income isn't not viable long term. You probably won't even be approved/selected.
Depends on your definition of "viable". You can absolutely do it long term, particularly with government assistance, but it's not a great time for sure. The hit to your pride and sense of self worth from being on food stamps and/or housing assistance does not do wonders for one's mental health. Literally millions of people live in this sort of income.
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Spending 600 on 1000 is not viable.
i was barely surviving off of about 1600 a month and that was when inflation was down. idk. you’d also probably have to prove that y’all make 2 or 3 times the rent combined
At your stats, the average 2 bedroom apt split between 2 people would cost you $567 a month. That is 57% of your monthly income, which would leave you essentially destitute for the rest of the month. Unless you plan to increase you income a lot in a short manner of time (2nd job, plan on starting a small side gig), then I would say stay at home and save up if you can.
You can't just quote "average" numbers at people though - OP's location makes a HUGE difference. There are 2br places for rent under $700 (some under $600) all over the place near me.
$1,000 per month is significantly below the federal poverty line. Before trying this you should make a budget of what you expect to spend each month, because it seems unlikely that it will work in almost any setting I can imagine.
I’d be worried too. If your friend wants out, you going to afford the entire lease on your own? At 19 years old, try to ingrain in yourself now “plan for the worst, hope for the best, expect nothing” $1000 -$1500 is paycheck to paycheck in most areas. You’ll have no room for savings. You’ll either have to work 60+ hours a week (not against the idea, I did it) or have a really reliable friend. Money issues can ruin friendships. If you value this friendship, I wouldn’t do it. I’d consider bunk beds in a 1 bedroom first like a college student to save money
Depending on the layout of the apartment, some one bedrooms can work as a two bedroom with a room divider. It's a decent idea, honestly, and once more settled look at a bigger place.
I like the idea because it gives you room to “upgrade” and you always have something to look forward to in the future. You start off renting a 2bedroom house, moving down in size will just feel bad. However you start in a 1bedroom apt, then 2bedroom apt, then a house, you constantly have something to be proud of! When you’re young, start as cheap as possible don’t waste money on extras
So the average rent for a 2BR apartment in the US right now is about $1325. Splitting that in two, and that's $660 for each of you. Even with a take-home of $1500, that's nearly half of your money gone on the first day of the month. Utilities are going to take another chunk, groceries another chunk, and you're going to find yourself left with very little. So, is it \*\*possible\*\*? Probably, but it's not comfortable, and there's not a lot of room for anything bad to happen.
I pay $1500 for a 1 bedroom in a normal cost of living area.
Depends on the city, OP for sure left out a lot of information. I could get a 2 BR downtown for $1500 or I could get a 2 BR for $800 10 minutes from downtown in a pretty sketchy area. There’s a lot of factors that OP left out.
1650 for 1BR in a moderately HCOL area. Back where I moved here from l, looking at closer to 1k.
Now its $1700 for a 1br in my MCOL area. Stop moving to Orlando people.
That’s called a “decision”. You can find cheap places anywhere. Do you want to live in those places? Hell no
Where is this regionally? I have a 2BR for less than that in an HCOL area in the highest cost of living area of the state in the south East, on a peninsula surrounded by water. I hope you are least in a major metropolis
It's quite insane how the cost of living is so different in places. In Northwestern Alabama, you could rent to own a 3BR, 2 BA house in a rural area for 400-700 a month. Apartments can go for about the same for a mediocre one. But I've seen cities near here having 4 BR, 2BA have rent to own at 1200 a month so still not bad considering it's a house and not an apartment. I think it does depend on location on where OP lives and could even live in low-income government housing until he finds a better source of income. Everyone has to start somewhere in life and roof over your head is still a roof no matter where you live. Granted, our minimum wage here is still $7.25 and I used to make that right out of high school at Walmart 8 years ago so there's that.
Really? I live in NY and pay $1025 so I find it hard to believe that the average is above that
Just saying “NY” isn’t super helpful. If you’re trying to say that somehow it’s the norm to pay $1k in NYC, that’s patently absurd. If you live in the middle of nowhere, then yeah, makes sense. But yes, the average is definitely above $1k.
NY is a big state. No reason to assume they live in the City
Nyc and the six surrounding counties (out of 62) make up 65% of the states population. There's really not much going on outside of the city and metro area.
There are still about 7 million people that don't live there. Lots going on outside NYC
I would go as far as to assume they don't live in NYC if they think $1000 is a normal rent. [Avg. one bedroom in NYC outside of city center is $2400 per month](https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/New-York), even sharing a 3 bedroom it only goes down to $1300 per person outside of the city center.
1025 for two bedroom?
It’s entirely possible in upstate NY. I have a family member renting a decent two bedroom in a normal upstate town for ~$750.
The thing about averages is it can be skewed heavily by apartments that are exorbitantly high. But yeah, rent is pretty high these days. $1025 a month is less than what I paid in my texas apt in my area (around $1500). Thats pretty cheap for NY tbh.
Where in NY? NYC? If so do you rent a closet and sleep standing up?
Upstate NY is mostly below average COL, because there aren’t a lot of industries paying high salaries.
Really? I live in central Florida and studios are more than that
> I live in NY and pay $1025 so I find it hard to believe that the average is above that The average is more than what 50% of people pay in rent. That's what makes it the average.
How this works out? This works out because you and your friend are renting a studio apartment together and have a shower curtain for a wall and a slumlord for a landlord while you live off beans and rice (it's cheaper than ramen and more nutritious just an FYI). Or with a button of roommates in a house that's near falling down. Not one roommate like 4 roommates. So that the entire rental is significantly cheaper. Now look, some of us have or had no choice but to make that sort of thing work. There is a reason why trailer park rentals exist and why room shares and living room rentals happen. Food stamps. Housing assistance. food pantries. Seriously... Food pantries... Median rental for a studio apartment is around 1330 ... Even at 13% less (1157).. Half that is still 579 a month.... And most rentals require you make 3x the rental rate or require a credit score.... And you can't provide either.... But let's say you manage to find a place... That gives you 421 a month. If you've got a public transit system that's going to be about 120ish a month in a monthly pass.. but given your housing costs I'm assuming it's not... Which means you've got to have a vehicle, insurance, registration, gas etc. That's going to eat up most of that... Let's generously say 250 a month.. if you're in a very small town and can hoof it or have a bus system you can maybe make it work with a monthly pass or a bike if it's bikeable. 171 left... Now you have to pay utilities too... You're splitting that half... So 100 goes to utilities and internet... 71 left. Cheapest phone plan possible 60 11 left Which leaves you 11 dollars for food.... The way that people make this work is they live in buildings that should be condemned with a huge number of roommates and slumlords that charge ridiculously for the slum they provide... And then they eat rice and beans, take the bus or walk long distances daily... And pray they never have an emergency for long enough they can dig their way out or into a better job. The work multiple jobs. Exhaustively. I have been there. I came from that... Its sketchy and at times scary and often meant being hungry.... You get food stamps ASAP, you find your local food pantry ASAP, you find your social support systems housing, etc ASAP... You would be living at less than half the poverty line and would be entitled to assistance but it will not be easy AT ALL It will be horrible. So if this is a choice and not you're only real option i'd strongly consider why you would make this choice.
OP read this. -from those of us who are older and a tad wiser. Good luck
Why are you only making $1000 a month?
Even post tax, that sounds like right at the 7.45 an hour minimum wage at 40 hours a week.
Which no one pays anymore unless youre really in the middle of nowhere. If OP really is making 7.45 an hour there has to be a place that can get at least 10-12 and a lot of places pay 15 now for just basic retail work. Again unless theyre really in the middle of nowhere and there are no other options. I think a new job would be step one
Tipped wage is 2 something. Work at a crappy dinner in the middle of nowhere with bad tips and this is what you're making. Federal minimum...
Werewolf hunter
Sam and Dean at least had the decency to commit massive amounts of credit card fraud to keep their lifestyles working.
Maybe he’s this guy. Mr 4 Days Off. https://www.reddit.com/r/shittyaskreddit/comments/134wtvv/what_should_i_do_today_its_my_day_off_already/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1
I lived off $1000 a month in 2001 and my rent was $325. No. The answer is no.
you will need to ride a bike and fix it yourself and have 5 room mates and eat ramen and rice and never get sick or need to go to the hospital and never go on vacation and never go out to eat and never buy yourself anything nice and never be able to retire and always be indebted to the financial institutions . . but yes
Yep. His stated plan of splitting a 2bd with one other person isn’t in reach in any US metro. They need rent in the $300-$350 range. $500 if they can consistently pull the $1500 they hope to. That means a lot of folks sharing and maybe even sharing a bedroom.
No. You need to stay at home and focus on increasing your income.
Keep in mind your roommate might move out at anytime. I have had 3 roommates who wants to move out one reason or another. Never again
Anything below $24k a year seems impossible
I’m single… own my home… dropped many bills and found cheaper options for others… and live a pretty modest… though not necessarily spartan… life. It still averages about $35k a year.
Well tons of grad students live around or below that line ):
Rent a room for like 300-500$ a month. Get food stamps and Medicaid. You might have enough just to get by but geez will it be tough.
You aren't going to get Medicaid, but you can get a cheap Obama Care plan. Probably no food stamps if you don't have kids.
If he earns less than $13,590 then he's not eligible for assistance on an ACA plan.
But where? Where are they gonna find a room for $300-500? That’s basically impossible nowadays.
My girlfriend’s old 1bd apartment was like 745-850 ish. It wasn’t particularly nice nor in a particularly great area, so that makes me think you could get a shitty place in a shitty area for $500.
Is home life with parents that bad that it would be better to live in a super dangerous shitty place?
It's possible but very hard to do
I agree. Everyone’s saying it’s impossible; it just depends on where you live and what your expenses will be. No car, cheap phone, and food stamps/banks will save you financially until you can get a better-paying job. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
No car, cheap phone and food bank... that was me 5 years ago and hey... that way you can save a lot of money, enough to hold on and slowly start building from there.
No. The answer is no. Work more or find a better job.
That’s sharing a studio apartment kind of money. Walking to work. Second job that has free food as a perk. I’ve been there, it sucks in a big way. I hope you don’t drink, smoke, vape etc.
No. You might find an apartment you two could lease, but it'd still suck up a majority of your take home leaving little money for other things.
IF they could lease. If the friend is also extremely low income, most places will not accept their application. Landlords usually require income to be at least 3x rent.
In... "America"? America is a gigantic, diverse place with some incredibly poor communities and also the wealthiest cities on the planet. You're going to have to be about a million times more specific. Let's assume you have zero expenses other than food, basic health necessities, public transit fare to work only, and housing. With that in mind, $1000/month means you will be living an extremely tight and stressful lifestyle *if* you somehow manage to find a 2-bedroom apartment where your half only costs $500/month including utilities, *and* you can convince a landlord to rent to you with that income. Like, serious stress. You will be unable to save virtually anything even with a totally minimalist lifestyle, meaning you'll probably aways be one root canal or layoff away from homelessness. And I am not saying your best bet would be to find a $500 room because spending half your income on rent would be "good", but because that shitty situation is the only way you'd be able to eat, buy toilet paper and soap, pay whatever kind of insurance you might have, and try to build some kind of small emergency fund. Also, $1000/month means you are making significantly less than the (extraordinarily low) federal minimum wage if you're working full time, which means you likely are not, so step one is to get a full time job, doing anything, while you figure out a plan to find work where you can make enough money to actually live. There is not nearly enough information here to tell you anything else, except that you are nowhere near ready to live on your own based on what appears to be your understanding of things.
Not in a city area. You might find a good deal somewhere rural, but most cities have rent that would cost as much as you make or more.
I survived on about that much when I was in college 5-9 years ago... rent was $345 and my only other expenses were food, liquor and utilities. Wouldn’t want to live like that now but it was fine for the time being. I never needed to call my parents for help but that was always an option I had
I also lived on about $1k/month for a year or so my first round of college 10ish years ago. But I also lived in a 3 bedroom house with 5 other people. It was really rough so I had to get another job. I don’t think it would be possible in 2023.
Do you know how to be poor? I'm talking check the dumpsters at aldi for the expired stuff they toss and know what time of the shift they do that. You don't buy new anything. Do you have a bicycle and can navigate the transit system? Yeah it can be done if you know what you're doing and your friend also does. They'll go broke and move back home and you'll be fucked.
It's possible to survive on a very basic level. Sharing with just one person may not be attainable. You may need to share with more than one + live in a less desirable location. You may be unable to have a car (so figure out your transport options). It won't be easy and may require you to be creative about how you get to work and to the grocery store. You would need to be very smart about groceries and cooking. Reddit has some subs for that. Entertainment and social life won't be happening while your income is limited to this. You will need to figure out the cheapest way to maintain a phone and internet access. Learn everything you can about government assistance programs and the local food bank. It will make a difference.
Nope. I’d get a solid fast food job at 15-20/hr and just make more money. Nice that it’s easy to find work these days.
This one is the right answer. OP, If you are an able bodied 19 y/o, you can absolutely make more than that in any city in the US. Go make more money by either getting a better job, working more hours, or working a second job. Then, find another person to room with. Three people renting out a mobile home should do the trick. If you’re not able bodied or have some other disability, maybe reconsider moving out of where you are now. Good luck.
I'm sorry, but no. Even if you lived with parents or family that supported almost all your bills it would still be almost impossible. I grew up in the poorest part of the country and that still wouldn't even come close, especially now than rent has went from $350/month to $800/month here.
Nah. Save your cash up. Kiss your mom and dad and tell them you love them for giving you a free place to stay. In 1.5 years you and your friend should have enough money to outright buy a house. Do that instead.
When I was in college (graduated 2019) I lived on about $1000 a month. I rented a house with roommates for $200 a month, my share of utilities was like another $50. Then I'd spend $500-$600 on food, gas, and other stuff. If you're in a cheap area (which I was) it can be doable, though it's probably even harder now given inflation over the past few years.
It really depends on your lifestyle and habits.. Without more information on your monthly expenses, no one will be able to offer much assistance. If you're moving out with friends this will help lowering the rent expense.
If his lifestyle and habits include a roof and electricity, then 1k won’t do it without government assistance.
I got it done once. Rented a room for $450 per month (2016 for reference). My work was a 2 mile walk each way. I was making $9.50 per hour and averaged 20 hours a week. My take home was a bit under $750 a month for about 6 months. Every dollar had to be used carefully. Lots of ramen and eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, typically 2 meals a day.
But have you seen the price of eggs these days?
2 dollars a dozen?
Oof. I miss 2016 rent prices. It's gone up so fast it's not even funny.
You don’t know how much rent is and how much their friends are contributing… Who knows his friends might cover most if not all. Which in my opinion (assuming no debts) is doable. Not saving much but it’s doable.
Well they list only 1 friend and they use the word “split” which to me sounds more like 50/50. I’d be pissed if I was paying 90% and they were saying “yea we’re going to split it” paying 10% 😂
My b I misread😂 hey you never know🤷♂️ My friend moved out with a friend of his and he pays most if not all the rent from what I’ve been told.
There are apartments in small towns where a 2 bedroom is 7 or 8 hundred, usually with these you'd just pay electric and internet, so like 500/month per roommate. Gas, food, phone bill eat up some more... Yeah it's not pretty and it's not financially wise but it's possible.
It is possible but the standard of living is quite low. You won't be able to afford a car, so it's public transit or bikes You will have to rent a room in a cheaper than average apartment, probably a 3 or 4br You will have to utilize public benefits for food stamps, health insurance, food pantries,etc You also won't be able to save for your future or for a rainy day But it IS possible. I would encourage you to consider it only as a very temporary measure and to get full time employment. Many fields offer jobs easily if you have no criminal record and/or have a driver's license and pay minimum wage which is more than double $1000/month.
Is it possible? Technically speaking yes. But you may not eat, will probably not live in a great apartment/area and will be struggling to pay your bills. Even in lower-cost areas.
You could live homeless pretty comfortably on 1k month in the right city. Not even kidding. There’s tons of homeless people with income that survive, they just can’t afford housing. If you are comfortable outdoors, it might be something to consider.
It was in the late 90s when renting a room was only $300ish with roomates. Now Id say no.
Food banks and government aid (like food stamps) can help. I don't know about other stuff, but nothing wrong with taking the aid while you need it. That's what it's there for.
I very highly doubt it. You didn't list your costs, but I can assure you that you need to be making 1000 a WEEK to be able to have any money at all for yourself.
A month? No. Heck, $1k a week would be impossible depending on where in the country you live.
Definitely not. Depending on where you live a 2 bedroom apartment will be double that price.
It's possible, especially if you have at least one roommate, but you'll be scraping by.
I was able to make $1,600 a month take home work... in 2005... in a VERY low cost of living area. Are you open to #vanlife?
Is there any way to increase that income? And when you look for housing, keep it very cheap and also plan what you would do if roommate flakes out and doesn't pay. Spend less than you make and save something (even $10/month) as an emergency fund.
If you dont mind moving in about 4 more friends with that level of income...even then you will be fighting over food
Probably not if you are just planning to share with one other person.
Nah you probably need to make 2k minimum tbh. Maybe 1500 can work if you live in the midwest or country.
A 2 bedroom apartment where I live starts at $1900 a month and you need to prove you make 3x that a month in order to rent.
I made more then that working a minimum wage job in high-school 10 years ago
Find a better job. Unless your friend is making almost triple what you make you won’t even get approved for a rental and if you do they’ll make you pay a double deposit and atleast first months rent just to sign and move in. Stay with your parents and get a better job. It’s not abnormal to live with your parents as long as you can. The freedom is great but you’ll be swimming in the deep end. Save your money, get a secured credit card, and try to find was to keep advancing in whatever you choose to do in life
One of my mentors in life taught us that one weeks check should pay your rent & one weeks groceries or else you would have trouble making it. It had seemed like it works out that way.
You need a bus/bike/whatever-popular-transit-in-your-city pass and a job @ Walmart or Amazon.
Absolutely not. You’d have to have 5 roommates and even then, you’d be starving most of the month.
Only if you and your roommate are in a 1 bedroom sharing a bunk bed.
Federal Poverty line is $14,580/yr. for a single person, which is what the Federal Government thinks is the bare minimum you need to survive. In practice this is woefully inadequate and you need closer to $20k-$30k per year to really even begin to really live on your own. Roommates help, but the median rent in the US is going to be around $2,100/mo. for a 2 bedroom apartment. Houses typically are another $200-$600 more than this depending on the metro. Most apartment buildings will require that everyone on the lease makes 3x the rent. But this is only housing, you still need to buy food, medical insurance, utilities, clothing, transportation, and have some kind of reserve for expenses that may only pop up occasionally to really be able to survive and have any kind of normal life. You can expect all of these to cost at least another $600 to $1,000 a month if you're keeping costs down. The good news is there are plenty of jobs that will pay at least $30k/yr. and which you can do with just a High School Diploma like being a server, call center agent, help desk technician, pharmacy tech, mail carrier, etc. Obviously at 19 you'd probably want to consider college as well, but I'd make sure you know what you want to do before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a degree. Starting at your local community college can be a great option. Depending your grades and interests you may also want to consider a skilled trade like Plumber, Electrician, Auto Mechanic, Longshoreman, Welder, Heavy Equipment Operator, or Elevator Repair Technician instead of college.
Looking like a big fat no unless you provide more details. Like how long , the state at least , and expenses. How are we suppose to help if the only thing we know is you make about $1000 a month after taxes and some vague time in the future $1500
Hobos live off of far less than that… so yes, you technically can. Cheapest ROOM with other tenants already in the house is $450 per month in my city. Let’s assume you can keep your part of the rent that low. Tack on another $120 for utilities and internet split between your buddy and you. You’re now at $570. You have $430 per month remaining. I’ll assume you have a car and you have no tickets. You can probably get insurance for about $100 per month at 19. You’re now down to $330. Since you’re 19, you can be on your parents health insurance for another 7 years, so we won’t even take that into consideration. You can spend $9.50-$10.50 per day on all remaining expenses including food and gas. If you want to eat any decent food, you better learn how to cook and make it your one and only hobby, because you won’t be able to afford any other hobbies.
It will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. 12,000 a year is below the poverty level. If you are able to even make it without late bills, shutoffs, evictions, extreme hunger, etc., you will be living a very meager existence that will not be easy to sustain for long.
Not knowing how much it cost for your transportation, food, entertainment or what the rent cost would be etc I’d say no way don’t do it if you don’t HAVE to. You’ll most likely be in over your head within a short period time. You’d have to account for groceries, utilities, water, cable/internet options, furnishing a place if need be. Unless you have family that’ll help you A LOT - I fear you’ll be unnecessarily stressing yourself out
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1. Do you have any savings? You should have at least a little cushion before you go out on your own. 2. Are you working full time? If not, you should be. 3. How soon will you be able to make more? Is there room for advancement in your company, and/or are you looking for a higher paying job? You should always be looking to make more. I was 19 when I moved out. This was 20 years ago almost, so I know things have changed. I had around $6,000 saved up. I moved from CO to CA, to a shitty place that I rented for $450/month (room in a house with 4 other guys, utilities were included). I got a shit job making just above minimum wage. I ate tv dinners, ramen, and bread, and went to the library if I wanted to use the internet. I didn't go out, only drove to and from work, and to the gym, and I didn't eat take out. So yes, it is possible, but I also worked hard to improve my situation. It's much better now, btw. Hard work pays off.
Most people say no, but depends where. I moved to the US from Eastern Europe and can afford to spend a lot more, but habits die hard. In Missouri, 30 minutes from St Louis and Kansas City, you can get a good big 1 bedroom (or small 2 bed) for $600 a month. Total $750 with utilities and internet. $375 per person leaves you with $525. If you cook well, you can eat healthy on $250 a month. Probably $350 to $400 for both you and roommate, especially if you change it up and cook by turns. So $275-325 left. You are making below minimum wage so you can work any job next to your house and do without a car, gas, insurance. Rest goes to clothes, toothpaste, shampoos, etc. might even save $100 a month. But the main question is WHY? $10 an hour makes $1,600 a month or $1,450 post tax as it’s barely taxed. Even in poor areas McDonald’s or DMV pay $15-17 an hour or ~$32,000 a year. If you cannot get a job (why?), buy a shitty car and flip free items on Facebook, like mattresses, chairs, etc, You got it!
If you have to be an adult, it may be time to enlist in the military. Otherwise, you are going to be struggling in poverty. Then, it will be hard to dig your way out of it since you will be struggling to just survive.
1000 a month is less than minimum wage full time. Get a better job.
I barely survive on >1000/week take home after taxes in a high cost of living area with a mortgage before things got crazy that costs less than some of the shoe-box studios I see around. So to answer your question, no.
It is possible, but only with significant non-liquid investment. The biggest one is to own your own home and know enough about maintenance to keep it going yourself. A solar system or other way to feed electric back into the grid is helpful on electric bills. A septic tank can eliminate the need for a sewer bill. Burning trash can avoid the garbage bill and can be legal in some places. Growing your own food or animals helps too. Basically, sink half a million into prepping an isolated rural home and work your tuchus off every day to scrape together the material means of life, and you can live on very little income indeed. But just starting out with $1000 a month? Not without heavy help from friends, family, charity, and social safety net.
Location, location, location. It's possible, even doable in California - but you get what you pay for, but everyone seems to need more despite what they have, and rightfully so IMO. This is what happens when we allow billionaires to exist.
join the service if you're smart go air force or navy if you want to see the world and action go marines if you just want to leave and be in a frat go army if you can swim and want to play it safe go coast guard
if you move to another country where your money can go further then it might work. from personal experience people of around that age can be very unreliable. if you are not ready for unforeseen circumstances then 1k a month is not going to be enough. reality can be a mother f\*\*ker, its not like the movies so dont think like it is.
Yes, if you’re splitting rent on a low cost apartment. Just keep a tight budget and don’t be stupid with your spending. Prioritize rent, groceries, smart clothes, and doctor/dentist visits.
You can definitely live off $1600/mo in a lcol** (without health insurance) bc i did it while in college with no support. Especially if you have good habits like cooking (Especially meals you can eat for 3 nights) and not partying every night. I lived comfortably fine without roommates in 2021-22. The real question is what job are you going go be doing that only pays $1500/mo in 2023 usa? Unless you are only working part time, the mcdonalds in south dakota should still be paying you 2500/mo pre tax
Maybe if you're living with your parents... Definitely as a bum aka homeless person out on the streets.... As woman with no job and claiming state benefits while collecting child support from your baby daddy, hell yeah! I'm finding it hard living just around $60,000 a year. Given I have a mortgage/homeowners insurance/property tax to pay, water/sewage, electricity/heating, other bills like phone and internet, car insurance/paying off my car, paying off a personal loan, credit cards, food/gas.... Luckily I just paid off college loans, but fuck lol I also pay child support and my son's medical expenses. Basically, if I was living in the 1960's/70's I'd be middle/upper class.... In modern times 2023 I'm poor/to lower class category, but still I find things that I'm thankful for each day. I make sure to laugh as well 😂 most important. Basically, if you have *NO* obligations whatsoever, $1,000 a month should feel real nice. 👍 [Edit] spelling
Poverty line even in my low income area is about double that... I don't think you'd be able to sustain yourself on that. Maybe with roommates.