Rent + bills cost around $3700 for me for a 1 bedroom apartment a 15 minute walk from work but I also get paid $147k salary. I make the maximum contribution to my 401k every month, so after rent, payroll, retirement, health insurance, and taxes I take home around $3500 a month.

This doesn't include my stock bonus, free breakfast lunch an dinner which I do take advantage of, and other small perks that add up to thousands a year.

That's crazy, my MORTGAGE is £455 a month, my factors are ~£160, then the rest of the bills is about ~£200-£300ish

So my living costs each month is around £900 ($1200)

I have a large apartment, living room is about 600sq feet and I have 2 big bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, gated entrace to the complex, a handy man, a concierge, my own private parking space as I'm in a big city...

$3700 a month is ludicrous. I'd want to live in a castle for that.

Unless you bought a long time ago, I'm going to take a guess you're not in London. You could expect to pay £900 for a room (maybe including, maybe excluding bills) in a flatshare in a decent(ish)/popular location.

>$3700 a month is ludicrous. I'd want to live in a castle for that.

I'm the person you are responding to and I agree, but this is what I get if I don't want to commute.

man where the fuck do you live to get all of that for only 900£? I pay 750€ish per month rent+bills for a bedroom in a shared apartment

I live in Scotland (Glasgow). THe place was £170k to buy and needed about £40k ish work done to it.

The £40k came out of savings, £70k deposit and you end with a really cheap fixed mortgage on £100k that comes to £445 a month, in fact it's low enough that I overpay it some months by double to get the mortgage paid off quicker.

Glasgow is tiny compared to NYC, SF, LON, etc. In an equivalent sized city in the U.S. you could easily find a house for $200k.

it's probably not size but rather the "hotness" of the city, i.e. afaik Rome is the biggest city in Italy by far (maybe the biggest in EU as far as actual size is concerned) but cost of living is quite low compared to other EU capitals and even other cities in IT, Milan i.e.

$1.5-2k will get you a single room in an apartment, a studio will run you at least $2.5k. Forget it if you have a family