I'm going to be 24 years old in a few months. I currently have a job that is about an hour and a half away from my parents and brother (without traffic). I currently live close to work in an apartment by myself. I love living alone and having the freedom and independence, but my rent is pretty damn high. I just found out (from another person who lives in my complex) that my rent is likely going to be increasing by another $200 or so when I go to renew my lease in a few months.

In a year, I can currently save 10k cash and 5k in my retirement if I am VERY frugal. However, if I was to move back home and rent a storage space for all of my furniture/apartment stuff, I would estimatedly save an EXTRA 20k on top of what I already save in a year (I wouldn't have to pay rent/utilities). That extra 20k is enough money for a downpayment on a house for myself or a condo.

I have an option of possibly moving in with a friend who lives about 45 minutes to an hour away from my work, and that would take some off my rent. But I almost think it would be worth it to move back with family and save a ton of money for a year. Additionally, my job allows me to work from home twice a week so I'd only have to make that trip 3 times a week. Quality of life might suck because I'd have to wake up super early to take traffic into account and some days I wouldn't get home until super late, but I only have to do that Tuesday through Thursday.

The more I think about it, I think I would rather move home and save a ton for a year before buying my own place or struggling to find a cheaper place that is closer to work. Just figured I'd ask you guys since you may have been in a similar situation before. It sucks because I love my place and I've gotten into a nice routine now, but I feel like it would be so stupid to literally spend $1600+ per month on rent when that is almost half of my gross income. I have a few months to make a decision about this, but I want to start thinking now.