Before you go out to begin looking for your first apartment, you should determine how much rent you can comfortably pay.
Generally, your rent should be about 25 percent of your income. You may be approved for up to 30 percent of your income. However, you need to consider your other expenses and debt payments. You should be able to cover most of your daily living expenses (groceries, utilities, eating out, and entertainment) on about 25 percent of your income. Take time to look at your budget before you start looking for your apartment. You should be focusing a lot on getting out of debt and saving money.