I feel your pain. I live in Morris County, the western part so not as pricy as Morristown, Chatham, etc. My rent went from 1510 to 1665. Which I thought was a lot, but i just looked at the complex website. Which only shows rents if they have units available. My complex is old; built in the late 60's, so very dated. They have been updating units, and were charging about $200 more for those. Not upgrades, but updates.

Anyway, i just saw that my size apartment, starts at $1895, and another w as $100 more, so I'm assuming that's an updated unit. Between that and my recent car payment, I'm paying $400 a month more than I was a few months ago. And like you I can afford it, but not much left over. I also thought about looking elsewhere but rents are comparable, and my complex is actually very good. Between maintenance, snow removal, keeping the grounds nice, and great office staff, i know what I have, and if I moved, i might be able to save a bit, but it may be a shithole.