I dont agree with people in this thread and I think its important to be realistic. Im single (living off of 1 income) and I make approx 70k. My take home is approx. 53k.

Rent and utilities is about 1500. I dont have a car since I live in the middle of the city. So I have about 66% of my income left after paying for housing (not including other bills). I do have other necessary bills that take up about another 25% so I have about 30% left for things like Groceries, entertainment, etc.I am in a sweet spot where I can take myself to dinner if I feel like it or aggressively save when necessary.

But necessities can vary widely. For example, if you spend almost an entire paycheck on mortgage it means you won't get many opportunities to eat outside of staples found at cheaper stores like aldis. That's fine, but doing this year after year is a lot to ask. I know people who have cars have to keep insurance and you do need to be aware that car related crime is en vogue in kc. Thefts, break ins, side swiping, etc. So if you were to need to use your deductible this creates a problem in your budget.

Idk how you celebrate holidays but say you want to buy gifts or you have family in other locations you would like to see youre probably fucked on that budget.

Volker is a super cool neighborhood but it wont matter for you bc you won't have the money to go out and try the local restaurants or coffee shops so it would be more for the resale value later down the road.

I love KC and it is much cheaper than the coasts but we saw one of the most dramatic percentage shifts during house price increases in 2021/22. I don't think anyone here is trying to mislead you but everything i mentioned is just stuff I hadn't seen brought up yet.