I live in one of the surrounding towns about 15 minutes from Nassau St. I pay around $2,200/mo for a 1 bedroom apartment. The cost of living in this area (and most of NJ) is expensive. I would say you'd need to be making at least $4,000/mo take-home to "make it" here and that's w/ making smart financial decisions and w/o any big expenses (Ex: Like a $500+/mo student loan payment). There are cheaper places to live other than where I am, but not TOO much cheaper if you want to be close to Princeton. I know a studio apartment in some of the Princeton complexes cost more than my 1 bedroom here. You've got to do some research for options. I saw someone suggested $80,000/yr for the area, and if you're living alone I think that's a realistic number. Of course, I'm a stranger on the internet w/ experiences limited to my own, so other might have different opinions. I wish you the best of luck!