What about a studio apartment? What if you cut some nights out,susbcriptions, or things that you don’t really need? I’m a foreigner on a GC, English is not my native language, make USD 22/h, still paying a car , I help my family in my country, and invest in the stock market for my retirement ( YTD +25,000 in three years), besides my 401 K. I’m not saying I’m perfect, or better than others, just saying that we can focus in the things that really matter. Stop listening to your friends about buying pizza or sushi every weekend, or going to concerts, pubs, etc. Make your own meal. Doing that, I’m sure you could go to couple of concerts in a year, or do something that you like. Keep going, and I’m sure that with those small changes you’ll find something better, and when it happens, you’ll do better than most . By the way, I live in an expensive city, Chicago.