New Jersey Hours Per Week One Two Bedroom Rental Affordability

I warn you.

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These numbers are sobering.

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New Jersey's lack of affordability has become a very common discussion these days as inflation reaches record setting numbers.

But just how difficult is it to make ends meet in the Garden State?

It is pretty freaking difficult for everyone but the group getting the shortest end of the stick are renters.

According to NJ.com, a study was conducted to calculate how many hours one would have to work at various wages to afford your typical one or two bedroom apartment in New Jersey.

Andrii Yalanskyi

For reference, remember that a typical full-time job consists of working 40 hours per week.

Here's a few pieces of information to be aware of:

New Jersey's median renter household income is $56,674. This means that of all the renters in in the Garden State, this wage lies directly in the middle.

Your typical two bedroom apartment in New Jersey costs approximately $1,628 per month. A one bedroom apartment averages out at $1,344.

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According to nlihc.org, "In order to afford this level of rent and utilities -- without paying more than 30% of income on housing -- a household must earn $5,428 monthly or $65,137 annually."

I am currently chuckling to myself because a majority of entry level jobs offer $45,000 per year and below.

I get needing to put your time in but call me crazy, anyone working 40+ hours per week should also be able to afford food.

Apparently we are not allowed.

For someone who is making $13.00 per hour -- aka minimum wage -- they would have to work 80 hours per week to afford your typical one bedroom rental.

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One person is basically working two full time jobs in this scenario. Wow.

To afford a two bedroom apartment at minimum wage, one would have to work 96 hours per week.

Forget being able to afford food; I guess we are not allowed to sleep anymore either.

If you check out all of the data because they break it down quite meticulously, check out NJ.com or see the full report at NLIHC.org HERE or HERE.

It does not matter how you spin this data.

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While the average salary continues to creep up year by year, the cost of living exponentially rises.

What does this mean? Even those of us with full time jobs can't afford to live.

Someone help us out here because I will not be happy if one day, all I can afford is to rent a cardboard box.

But that's where we are headed so I hope someone acts fast.

Now let's look at the positive:

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.