I'm not advocating the decision to spend this much on rent on such a small salary, I was just correcting the claim that $36k wouldn't even be enough to pay for

I'm not advocating the decision to spend this much on rent on such a small salary, I was just correcting the claim that $36k wouldn't even be enough to pay for a $1,700 apartment. Millions of people survive on less than $550 per month. Sure, you won't have your daily Starbucks, no cable TV, and your cell phone plan will most likely come from a low cost provider like Virgin Mobile. In a $36k job, you can probably get away with clothes from Kohl's or even the thrift store, and your apartment is probably not filled with expensive stuff so renter's insurance isn't that much of an issue.