The programming talent myth

And in this area, $1300 can get you an apartment with a covered, heated garage and other niceties (like an elevator for moving in). And if you can afford the down payment, that's about what a mortgage on a decent house is (with good credit). My first apartment was a 3-room attic for ~$500/month (after electricity and gas). Car insurance is ~$100/month (for a 2013; the 1989 was ~$60/month mainly due to not having things like ABS, airbags, and other safety features), I don't really look at what gets taken out of the paycheck for healthcare, so I can't comment on that. Your numbers are *way* higher than is really necessary in many areas. Again, not everyone lives in NYC or the Bay area and using it as a baseline for what is "acceptable" across the entire US is a little absurd.