According to a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the fair-market rate for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,420 per month, the seventh-highest in the USA.

Hawaii, Washington D.C., California, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts comprise the top six most-expensive.

You can break down the map by county to really check out where you live. I rent a place in Ocean County, where about 20% of the population rents. The most messed up stat is that the NJ minimum wage is $8.44 an hour; according to stats, the average person makes $17.86 per hour; but a New Jersey worker needs to be paid $27.31 an hour to reasonably afford a two-bedroom apartment.

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It's the sort of situation that is a result of the blown-up housing market. People get stuck in a situation where they can't afford a house (or can't afford the down payment) so they end up renting, but constantly pouring money into the rental means they can't save up for the house.

In some instances renting makes sense, and I'm really not entirely opposed to the idea. I don't have to mow my lawn, if things break I can call maintenance, so it's not the worst scenario.

What's your situation? Do you rent, do you own? Is rent too high in NJ?

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