Here's how much you need to earn to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in 15 of America's biggest cities

In fact, almost half spend over 30% of their incomes on rent, exceeding the standard measure of affordability, according to the 2017 State of the Nation's Housing report, published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

In addition to transportation and food, housing is one of the biggest expenses Americans have. Cutting back on these things could mean more savings in the bank and even a ticket to early retirement.

In its latest report, SmartAsset calculated the income needed to afford rent in 15 major US cities. That is, the salary a household must earn to spend a comfortable 28% of its income on rent for a two-bedroom apartment. Rent prices were pulled from RENTCafé's January 2017 report.

Below, check out how much you need to earn to pay rent in San Francisco, New York, Boston, and 12 more of America's major metro areas.