patrick.net

TechGromit says

31% gross income, about 39% net income, this includes Mortgage, Real estate taxes, Home owners Insurance and PMI. After the PMI is paid off, it will drop to around 35% of net salary (assuming salaries don’t increase)

Weren't you in Boston for a while too?

Rent runs about 16% of gross for us. That seems to be a pretty typical percentage on this board.

I stay home with the kids, so in a sense we do have a second potential income in reserve, though of course childcare expenses would take up a lot of a second income for awhile.

Actually these percentages are all over the place really, and probably not too useful. As has been pointed out before, the more you make the more you can buy, and the reverse is also true, the less you need to rent as well. If you're making 200K/year, your disposable income is fairly large, meaning you could easily push this money into housing, savings, lifestyle, etc. If you're making 50K/year, you're more likely to be locked into a solid 20% of income for rent, just because you've got less choices. Trying to drop it to 10% probably means ghetto, while 10% rent at 200K is going to be not as nice, but still pretty decent for your income level.

Jeez when I see that I am paying 39% of my net pay on an apartment it kills me. I new I was probably paying to much of my net in rent, but when I see it right there, 39%, wow.

If only there were cheaper one bedrooms, or I could some how squeeze into a studio...

PITI 14% of gross. Currently paying extra P to be mortgage free next year.
But a cheap mortgage payment doesn't tell the whole story, maintenance costs keep going up. We purchased a 1974 SFH in 1991. Will pay several thousand $ this year to replace overgrown bushes, remove an old willow tree, replace all interior doors, replace back entry door.
That doesn't even count paying for lawn care, leaf removal, gutter cleaning, snow removal.
Houses eat money.

OnTheFence says

Jeez when I see that I am paying 39% of my net pay on an apartment it kills me. I new I was probably paying to much of my net in rent, but when I see it right there, 39%, wow.
If only there were cheaper one bedrooms, or I could some how squeeze into a studio…

I thought mine was high, too, until I calculated it using gross income. Maybe if I'd stop putting so much into retirement the % of net wouldn't look so bad;O)

rent: 17% of gross salary
not counting bonus & investments