Don't live above your income, save up an emergency fund like @cav said, enough so you have rent/bills covered for a few months if you were to lose work. Learn to cook meals at home, you can meal prep for work and save yourself from going out to eat and spending more than you should. If you get a place with a roommate make sure you label all your stuff, pick up after yourself. Try to find an apartment on the ground level, moving your shit up and down stairs fucking sucks or hire a crew to move it all for you. Look up reviews for potential ares you might live, try to find the pros and cons of each. When you do choose a place to call home, before moving anything in make sure you get with the land lord and do a walk through of the place, take pictures of any damage you notice and write it down, some landlords will try to take your safety deposit and say the damage was caused by you when it wasn't.