RE: Well, even at $2000 a month, you are paying 33% of your income on housing.
Notice I said less than or equal to $2,000. If you shop around town and don’t mind an extra 15 minutes of subway ride to work in Manhattan, you could get a decent apartment for less than 30% of your annual income.
Hell, if you shop around far enough you can find rent for $100 a month and you’ll have plenty of disposable income. That’s not the point though. The average living expenses for the area are what counts when it comes to studies like this.