brian stop talking bullshit.... u have answered urself... u lived by urself and u probably lived in a closet in gun firing neighborhoods. Go raise a family and talk. Less than 1k a month, gtfo. You did not live "comfortably".
Lliving like a millionaire would be renting in manhattan. Go look up craigslist and the rent there. I bet it's more than ur monthly salary. it certainly is mine.
Show me the break down of your expense.
Here is the current rentals in queens like u said for SHARING rooms......
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/roo/