Yup, one time I was curious what else goes along with that "30% of income on housing" "rule" and it was a whopping 25% of your income on transportation. Which can only mean a car. The exact percentage of income on transportation varied around a bit by income bracket and it would make sense that was higher for poorer people.
So while the housing market is still fucked you're technically coming out ahead paying even 50% of your income on rent if you don't have a car. Which is always missing context from stories about people living car-free in big cities, especially NYC where you really don't need one and having one is usually actually an active daily burden. Like here:
Some Bronx car owners forced to sleep in vehicles while waiting for scarce street parking spots: ‘It’s a parking war’
NEWS.YAHOO.COM
It’s so hard to find parking in one Bronx neighborhood that some residents say they sleep in their cars overnight, double parked, waiting for an elusive spot. “It’s a parking war,” said Sandy Blackwell as she pulled her SUV into a space on University Ave. near W. 195th St. in Kingsbridge Heights last Tuesday afternoon, minutes after a city street sweeper made its weekly run along the west side ...