Without a doubt, rent. Haven't had a car payment in years and, most likely, the reason our 2005 Dodge Durango now has over 171,000 miles on it.
Probably utilities... electricity, natural gas, phones, internet, cable. My husband handles the finances so I'm just guessing; food is probably the second largest expense. We have no mortgage or other debt, and our insurance for home, auto, RV are paid annually, as are real estate taxes.
My internet connection is $21 and my electricity is $22,50 those are my biggest expenses for the month. No rent no taxes
I would hate to be a young married guy with a couple of kids looking for a nice apartment with reasonable rent unless I had a damn good paying job. Renting all over the U.S. has been going up up up. If you have a good down payment it could be cheaper to buy a house than to rent a apartment.
Apartment rates here in Millinocket range from $600-900 per month. Given that serviceable houses can still be bought here for $40,000 without a tax sale, most people who move here buy a house instead. Apartments are mostly for seniors who no longer want to maintain their homes. Given that I was paying $1,300 per month for a two-bedroom townhouse in Anaheim in the early 1980s, I would imagine prices are sky-high in California. My son is finally starting to talk about moving from California because he'd like to own a house before he dies.
not here in fly over country...small town...seniors can get an apartment for $400/mo...or based on income...free