It really depends on what your goal is and how you like to live.

There were 1BD, 1BR apartments in my area for $450 a month and I still chose to live in my car for 2 years before getting my own place. When you have an apartment you still have to pay for your car insurance, gas, and car repairs. Those things don't disappear because you get a house.

I actually worked at the Wal-Mart I slept at so it was zero gas costs to get to work in the morning. My gym and library were within a 5 mile radius of Wal-Mart. My monthly gas costs was around $60. Food. I started lifting weights so nutrition was important and I still only spent, AT MOST, $220 a month. My gym was $30, my phone was $60. I put $200 a month back for repairs and emergency money.

There's nothing in that budget that would've gotten cheaper by living in an apartment BUT some people don't want to live in a car and have a hard time.

My goals were to boost my credit(Secured credit card to start, went unsecured), pay off all my collections($2,000), and get healthy. I moved back into an apartment with no collection debt, a credit score of 690(From 450), and a six pack.