I was 24 and was making around $15/hour as a student worker at William Paterson. A couple friends were sharing an apartment on the border of Paterson when one had to bail, so I took the opportunity to jump in. Apartment's rent was $900/month for a tiny "two bedroom" (it was the back half of a 1st floor apartment which at some point had been split in two), so just $450/month for my half. Since I was moving in with a friend, had more friends living in the apartment upstairs, and was 5 minutes drive from work/college it was a pretty sweet situation for my first place. Plus it was within walking distance of bodegas, restaurants, and laundromats so honestly not a bad spot at the time (also it was literally the border of Paterson, and really may as well have been Prospect Park).

All of this was in 2010.