I'm a lifer. Been here for most of my 39 years...until about three months ago.

I was living with my parents and helping them out a bit. They're looking to hopefully sell and make a move south within the next 6 months to a year, so I figured I'd look for my own place.

Even though I make $70K, for rent, I intentionally budgeted as if I made $10K less, +/- $100. I wanted to be able to have some kind of life outside of work and home...and perhaps be able to stash some money away.

It just wasn't happening here. I thought I'd be able to find something in my budget in maybe Norwalk, but nope, it's gotten just as bad there. One studio I looked at there was $1500/month!

I now live in Black Rock (Bridgeport). I found a nice little studio for like $1200 a month. I still work in Stamford, so, yeah, the commute isn't great. Even if I budget in another $100/month for gas, I'm still paying less than I would be if I stayed here.

My friends are still here as are my parents (at least for now), so I still spend a ton of time down here. I'm hoping the market will cool down eventually but unfortunately, I don't see it happening any time soon. Given the right opportunity, I'd totally move back.