about one-half of masses age 18 to 29 in the US live at home with their family ( the high since the 1940s 😳 ) .

This post is part of a series to be more transparent with housing costs and yield in America . If you ’d like to make the topic of money and housing a little less taboo , considerfilling out this formto be have .

As housing andgroceriescontinue to rise in cost,wages fail to keep pace.For regular-degular people, it can sometimes feel like we are in the great unknown regarding what we should be spending and what we should be getting paid.

And aslife gets more expensive, talking about money still remains a bit of a taboo topic. I often have nagging voices — from employers and older generations — in the back of my mind telling me that talking about money should be completely off-limits.

So, let’s begin slowly.We’ve starteda housing and pay transparency series where we showcase people’s homes, how much they pay for said home, how much they make, and any other interesting details (like the most precious thing in their home, the most expensive thing in their home, and, more importantly — their stories).

This week, we’re featuring Nia, a 27-year-old who recently moved out of her family’s home for the first time (go Nia!!!). Let’s start with the basics:

Occupation?Government Contracts Coordinator

Salary?$45k

Hours?Full - fourth dimension

Beds / baths / floors?“One   bedroom , one bath , a living elbow room , and a small kitchen on one floor . "

Square footage?“I know in a duplex rest home that is 1,600 sq . ft . overall . My unit is 800 sq . ft . and shotgun style . "

Amenities?“A washer / dryer that is not safe to use ( I do laundry at parents ' rest home nearby ) , oven / stove , fridge , and a driveway out of doors . "

Ok, now some fun stuff!

“My electric adjustable desk that I use to work from home. It was $200 from Amazon.”

“My color-coordinated and curated book collection/bookshelf. It’s my baby, my pride and joy.”

Ok, moving on to the nitty gritty…

Since this is her first apartment, Nia said she was limited in what she really wanted due to price but decided on her place based on affordability, location, and that it was a duplex rather than a large apartment building.

According to Zillow, the average one-bedroom costs $1,626 in Atlanta, and the average annual salary is $71,464,according to ZipRecruiter. In comparison, Nia’s spending $1,095/monthly for rent (before utilities) on a $45k salary.

While Nia can not afford the median one - bed , the amount she ’s spend on split is moderately relative to her income — about 29 % of her income on rent ( compared to the comparable norm of 27 % ) . She ’s in line with the popular"spend only 30 % on rent"rule ( dwell in NYC , I could not say the same ) .

Still, Nia doesn’t make enough yet (nor does the average person in Atlanta) to afford a home in the area. According toFortune, the annual salary needed to afford a $400,000 home (the average in Atlanta) is about $127,000. Additionally, as many renters face, she’s been met with some unexpected sacrifices and surprises in the three months she’s been living here.

She told BuzzFeed, “The unit looked so nice and charming on the surface, but living in it, I came to see that the home has a lot of structural issues (like pipes and vents) that a non-professional like myself is not trained to look for. It was built in the 1940s and has not had major renovations in a long time.”

“It’s my first place, and I waited such a long time before leaving my parents' house, so it’s a bummer, and I feel like I made a huge mistake…but I try not to get down on myself,” she added.

So, “leveling up” is in her plan for the future — despite only living here for a few months, Nia said she’s looking to move out as soon as she lands a new job with a better salary or finds a better place at a similar price. However, looking for a new place hasn’t been easy.

“I have a close friend here who owns a home and works in real estate,” Nia said. “She keeps it real with me about my options with my current budget: (1) live on your own and slum it out, (2) get a roommate so you can live nice, or (3) go live in the mid-tier large apartment.”

As for the roomie pick , Nia said , " dead not . " She told BuzzFeed , " I had roommates throughout college and vowed to never do it post - graduating ; I ’d have to be with family or on my own . I ’ve lost a best friend trying to be roomie . " She said she ’ll move back home if she does n’t find something by the metre her lease is up .

Like Nia, with the high cost of living, low wages, and the fact that one of the only ways to live alone is by living with roommates, more and more young people are moving back home or choosing to stay home. According to a survey fromHarris Poll for Bloomberg, nearly half of people (45%) in the US aged 18 to 29 live at home with their families (the highest since the 1940s 😳).

As for herself, Nia told BuzzFeed, “I lived at home for several years because I liked the comfort of each individual contributing to everyone’s livelihood and because my parents charged me low rent ($500 a month).”

She added,“I would come home , and there ’s dinner party . I never had to cerebrate about certain chores like trash or lawn . My household contribution was cleanse and sharing my railway car . "

She continued, “I also saved up so much money. When I finished college, my credit was terrible, and I had nothing to my name. In about two years, I got my credit to excellent and got good at managing my personal finances.”

She said, “I was happy with the results [of living at home] and decided to stay longer, as I couldn’t come up with good reasons to leave. Sometimes, friends and family would ask me about my dating life. It never suffered. (Though I did prefer to date people with their own place!)”

In Nia’s case, despite wanting to save as much as possible so she could go straight into homeownership, she eventually decided to move out for her comfort. “I decided to go ahead and rent just so I could experience having my own bathroom and living room,” she told BuzzFeed.

Still , before she go , she set some goal beforehand to be well-off with her move .   She said , " I made certain I had enough saving to embrace all my fixed payments and pull for at least one twelvemonth . I did this because I watch over people get laid off ; I had been frightened of being next ( when I was in corporate ) . Also , what if something find to my social unit or I adjudicate it ’s no longer a skillful estimate for me to stay ? I need to be capable to afford to break the lease . "

Overall, Nia said she’s grateful to have been able to stay with her parents to get a good financial footing. She said, “I thank them every day for contributing to my strong financial start because though it’s not been easy being on my own so far, it hasn’t set me back.”

Still , I ’d wager that if the cost of living — from college debt to rent — were n’t so eminent , living at home would n’t be the first choice for many immature adults . For many , it ’s simply the only option to get a start in this world ( and for many others who do n’t have reenforcement at home , it ’s not   an alternative at all ) .

Compared to other major US cities, I find that Atlanta gets a pretty solid rap regarding the cost of living (aside from healthcare). AnAxios reportnoted that Atlanta’s relatively low cost of living is attractive for “people who want the perks of being in a major U.S. city without a high price tag.”

“ Why do mass keep moving to atlanta ” cause this is $ 7 at publix and rent is 1kpic.twitter.com/76k6Bbbn6 gramme

And Nia said that despite the early challenges of moving out, she’s pretty happy overall in Atlanta.

She told BuzzFeed , " Regarding oeuvre , I ’m excited about what I can do with my skill lot and where I can go next . Despite the gloomy pay , this problem in government contract bridge was the good life history move I ’ve made thus far . I also have my own privy and life room — the principal things I wanted ! I was inexorable about not have a roomie , so I ’m grateful for that , too . There ’s room for improvement , but I imagine 18 - year - former me would be very impressed . "

Still, while Nia said she’s getting by in Atlanta, it’s not exactly like she’s living large with her salary. She said, “My city is no longer affordable if you’re trying to live in luxury on your own with an entry-level salary of $40k–$50k.”

She elucidate , " This is not including those in tech , health care , or other in - need W. C. Fields where the start salaries tend to be much high . My friends in those fields do great here . "

Because most of her family, friends, and professional network are nearby, Nia said she will probably stay in Atlanta to be near her support system. But after researching jobs and the cost of living in other cities (Chattanooga, Tennessee; metro-Phoenix, Arizona; Huntsville, Alabama; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, to name a few), she said she could see herself relocating if she knew for a fact she’d be living with better opportunities for career growth and homeownership.

Buuuut…that’s it from Nia! Round of applause to her for being transparent about salary and rent (loveto see it), and why living at home is sometimes a necessary choice now to get ahead as a young adult. 👏

If you like this series and are on board with more salary, rent, and housing transparency, considerfilling out this formto be featured. Whether you have an average apartment, a designer pad, or anAmazon tiny home, we wanna see real people’s places and hear their stories. So consider sending in — can’t wait to hear from ya!