I lived at home for a little over a year after I graduated college and didn’t pay rent. Between paying for my car, the LIRR, and the subway, it was only a little bit cheaper than my first apartment was. If I had been paying rent too it probably would have been better dumping the car and LIRR and moving into the city immediately. But my parents were in no rush to push me out, and it was nice to save some money and have the money to be able to go away for the weekend with friends rather than scraping by. It’s almost taken as a given if you’re from Long Island that you’ll move home for a year or two after college because it’s cheaper to live at home and convienient.

My brother lived at home on and off for six years after he graduated college, and I’m pretty sure he never paid rent either.