live on (one's) own
1. To live independently from one's primary caregivers. We cram so much information into our students' heads about math, history, and the like, but they never learn how to live on their own by the time they head off to college. I desperately wanted to start living on my own after I finished high school, but I just couldn't afford to.
2. To live without any other people in one's house. Ever since my parents' divorce, it breaks my heart thinking of my poor dad living on his own in that tiny apartment on the other side of town. I lived with roommates all throughout college, but now that I have a decently paying job, I'm eager to start living on my own.