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Imagine looking for your first apartment after college. Would you choose an apartment you can barely afford, or would you find a place in a less expensive neighborhood that you can afford while also paying off your student loans?

In this story, one college grad is in this situation, and he chooses a less expensive apartment that will allow him to save up to buy a house. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with this decision, but after talking to some of his neighbors, he’s starting to wonder if he really should move somewhere else.

I don’t think he’s doing anything wrong. Keep reading to see if you agree.

AITA for living in a working class neighborhood to save money when I could easily afford to live elsewhere?

I (23M) graduated college last May and was lucky enough to get a well paying software engineering job straight out of school.

Furthermore, I only graduated with about $30k in debt (I went to a school with extremely generous financial aid, in addition to a couple merit scholarships).

I’m extremely fortunate and frankly privileged to be in my economic situation.

He knows what he wants and what he doesn’t want.

I live in a very high cost-of-living area (NYC), and my main financial priorities right now are a) pay off my student debt within a year, and b) save as much money as humanly possible to buy a house in a few years.

I also don’t want roommates; I did that all throughout college and strongly value my privacy.

I’m thus paying $1500/month for a 1 BR in a working class, predominantly Latinx (Dominican) neighborhood. If you’re not familiar with NYC rents, $1500/month is basically the absolute cheapest you can possibly find a 1 BR.

I love the neighborhood and get along well with my neighbors, but let’s just say that a yuppie software engineer (which is what I am, let’s be real) is pretty out of place, demographically speaking.

Yikes! The neighbors don’t seem to think he should live there!

A few months ago, I had some friends over, and the topic of finances came up. This friend group is pretty open with discussing salaries/rents/etc.

Long story short, a Latino friend (call him Bob) who actually grew up in the neighborhood and whose parents still live here pointedly asked me what I was doing living here, when with my salary I could easily afford to live downtown.

I explained my financial priorities, and Bob went off on me, saying it was totally wrong that I was essentially taking an affordable apartment away from someone who actually needed it.

A couple other friends agreed, calling me stuff like a “textbook gentrifier” and “the face of neocolonialism.”

Bob actually stormed out and won’t even speak to me anymore; when I last texted him, he just replied “ok colonizer.”

He’s not sure what to think.

I totally get their POV, and am very conflicted about this: there are people less fortunate who could use a $1500/month 1 BR way more than I. And I totally could afford to live elsewhere, though after maxing out my retirement account contributions I wouldn’t have much in terms of savings.

But on the other hand, it’s not like I’m an evil developer tearing down affordable units en masse to build luxury condos or a slumlord kicking poor families to the curb for being a day late on rent.

I have a particular budget, and with the housing situation as bad as it is in NYC, can only stick to my budget by living where I am.

Like I said, this has been gnawing at me for the past few months, especially now with so many people losing their jobs. So, AITA?

I think Bob really overreacted. OP has financial goals, and he’s not doing anything wrong by choosing to live within a budget.

Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This person thinks he’s doing the right thing.

Another person thinks the friends are the problem.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a family who finds a technicality in the law that allows them to keep their pool after their neighbors report it.

This is a good point.

Everyone agrees that he’s doing the right thing.

Neighbors who don’t want you to live in their neighborhood are not people I would consider “friends.” He needs to ignore the bad advice and stick to his plan and his budget. He’s not doing anything wrong.