24-year-old gets $90k a year job, moves out from parents house when they charge him $1200 rent while sisters pay $500: 'My finances are a mess'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jun 30, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Not every child is fast to fly the nest when they grow up.

For one reason or another, it is not uncommon for adult kids to share a home with their parents long after their peers have started to live independently. There are plenty of scenarios where it just ends up being more convenient as a short- or even long-term solution, so long as the parents don't mind. 

One of the primary reasons that these situations arise is that people want to save money. Paying for your own home is expensive, whether you're buying or renting, and it isn't like other areas of life are getting any cheaper. Some moms and dads might let their kids stay for free, and even those that understandably expect a financial contribution usually won't charge the market rate.

If we are being honest, a lot of people who live with their parents probably wouldn't do it if they could find somewhere decent for less money. This means that the case of those who decide to make their shared accommodation expensive, it is highly likely that children are going to finally spread their wings and seek out some other place to live where they don't have family members looming over their shoulder.

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  • A man wearing a hoodie rubs his face with both hands while sitting on a couch
    via Christian Erfurt

    A man wearing a hoodie rubs his face with both hands while sitting on a couch

  • A man had spent many years as a student, living with his parents rent-free as he wasn't working. His sisters and their kids also lived with them. He had recently started a decently paid job, and this led his parents to tell him that they expected him to pay rent.

    He didn't have an issue with this, aside from the fact that they expected him to pay $1200 a month for his room, more than double what his sisters paid. Outraged at the amount that they were asking, he made the decision to find his own place instead, but he wasn't sure if he was doing the wrong thing by not supporting them.

  • Am I wrong for moving out of my parents' house instead of paying rent?

    | 24m currently live with my whole family, parents 59, sisters 29f and 34f and their 3 kids ages 4 -15f. At the moment they all live upstairs splitting the rooms and I have the entire basement to myself which I share with my cat. Since forever I've been a student and have never paid rent but I'm now working since I graduated (only a month so far).
    via StealYourJoy
  • My parents want me to pay rent which I think is reasonable but the issue is they want me to pay $1200 a month and are giving me no time to actually get on my feet. My finances are a mess and I haven't even been making real money yet as I've only revived one paycheque to date.
    via StealYourJoy
  • 2 weeks ago my parents told me I needed to start paying by end of month or they are kicking me out and I won't have the money so I told them I'm moving out last week. Since I told them my whole family parents and sisters are saying I'm being selfish by not helping the family now that I have a good job and they have now told
    via StealYourJoy
  • even my extended family who has been contacting me and talking sh about the situation. For reference my job pays just under roughly 90k a year minus overtime or other stipends and while I said yea I don't mind paying again it's more so the circumstances that are hard to accommodate.
    via StealYourJoy
  • So now it's to the point I'm not talking to them and plan to go no contact once I move. AITJ here or am I being reasonable about the situation? I agreed to pay at a later time but at the moment, I'm still paying my licensing fees as well as other stuff and $1200 is a lot for me. I just don't find it fair I'm forced to pay this quickly especially when my sisters are not paying even close to $1200 a month.
    via StealYourJoy
  • An overhead view of a mom playing with three kids of different ages in a living room
    via Andrej Lišakov (Unsplash+)

    An overhead view of a mom playing with three kids of different ages in a living room

  • ZealousidealPhase543 I thought you were going to say $4-500. $1200, with no warning, seems a bit steep.
    via ZealousidealPhase543
  • Potential_Lunch 1003 NTJ. Parents are charging you a lot because they know you have money coming in and would rather have you subsidize their expenses. If rent was like $200- 600 I'd say that's reasonable but $1200? Bruh no way.
    via Potential_Lunch1003
  • You're not doing anything wrong by living on your own! They're just mad they can't use your money. That living situation sounds way too crowded and complicated. Go do you! Live on your own!
    via Potential_Lunch1003
  • tjk45268 They made a threat and you followed through. NTA.
    via tjk45268
  • Comfortable-Bug 1737 I think they need you to subsidise your sisters, if they aren't paying much. Not your problem though, you'd want to leave eventually
    via Comfortable-Bug1737
  • Desperate-Crazy-6873 NTJ. The sane thing for them to do would be to start charging you a couple hundred for the first 6 months then raise it once you are receiving regular pay and have your life sorted a bit. $1200 right off the bat with no warning is crazy.
    via Desperate-Crazy-6873
  • Equivalent Juice2395 NTJ. While you're not entitled to live anywhere free, your parents should have set expectations "once you're done with school and have a job, we expect you to pay rent of $$$ every month starting the first month of your job" so you could at least have been mentally prepared.
    via Equivalent_Juice2395
  • Your parents have every right to charge whatever rent they want but you have every right to say no and go elsewhere when it's your money you're spending.
    via Equivalent_Juice2395
  • Disillusionification They gave you the ultimatum: pay or leave. You're not in the wrong for taking the latter option, they shouldn't have made a threat if they weren't willing to deal with the consequence.
    via Disillusionification

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