Rent Calculator

How much rent can you afford? The classic answer is the 30% rule: keep rent at or below 30% of your gross monthly income. Enter your income and target share to see a recommended rent, plus a conservative 25% figure and a 35% stretch ceiling for a realistic range. Add your existing monthly debt payments and it also shows a debt-adjusted maximum based on a 36% total-debt-to-income guide. Everything updates instantly and runs entirely in your browser.

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Recommended rent —
Conservative — 25% of income
Stretch — 35% of income
Debt-adjusted max — 36% DTI minus debts
Monthly income used — gross, per month

How to Work Out How Much Rent You Can Afford

Three inputs and you have your range.

1

Enter your income

Type your gross income and choose monthly or annual. The calculator converts an annual figure to a monthly one for you.

2

Set your target share

Leave it at 30% for the classic rule, or adjust it. You also get a conservative 25% and a stretch 35% figure automatically.

3

Add your debts

Enter existing monthly debt payments to see a debt-adjusted maximum from a 36% total-debt-to-income guide. Then compare the range.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much rent can I afford?
A common starting point is the 30% rule: keep rent at or below 30% of your gross monthly income. On a 5,000 dollar monthly income that is about 1,500 dollars. This calculator shows that recommended figure at whatever share you choose, plus a conservative band at 25% and a stretch ceiling at 35%, so you can see a realistic range rather than a single number. It also works out a debt-adjusted maximum, because rent is only affordable if your other monthly debts still fit. Enter your income, pick monthly or annual, set your target share and add any existing debt payments to see the numbers update instantly. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What is the 30% rule for rent?
The 30% rule is a long-standing budgeting guideline that says your rent should not exceed 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income. It traces back to US housing policy, where households paying more than 30% of income on housing are considered cost-burdened. To use it, take your monthly income and multiply by 0.30 — for example, 4,000 dollars a month gives a 1,200 dollar rent target. It is a rough guide, not a hard rule: in expensive cities many people spend more, while someone with high debts or strong savings goals may want to spend less. Adjust the target share in this calculator to match your own situation.
What is the 50/30/20 budget?
The 50/30/20 budget splits your after-tax income into three buckets: 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and debt repayment. Rent sits inside the 50% needs bucket alongside utilities, groceries, insurance and minimum debt payments. Because rent has to share that half of your budget with every other essential, aiming for rent near 30% of gross income usually leaves room for the rest of your needs. This calculator gives you the 30% rule figure plus a conservative 25% and a stretch 35% view, which maps neatly onto whether rent will crowd out the other essentials in your needs bucket.
Do landlords require you to earn 3x or 40x the rent?
Yes, very commonly. Many landlords and property managers require your gross monthly income to be at least 3 times the monthly rent, which is the same as saying rent should be no more than about 33% of income. Some markets, especially cities like New York, instead use a 40x rule: your annual income must be at least 40 times the monthly rent, which works out to roughly the same one-third threshold. If you fall short, landlords may ask for a guarantor or co-signer, several months of rent up front, or proof of savings. To check quickly, divide your gross monthly income by 3, or your annual income by 40, and compare it with the rent you are considering.
Should rent include utilities and renters insurance?
When you judge affordability, think in terms of the total monthly housing cost, not just the base rent. Utilities such as electricity, gas, water, internet and trash can add anywhere from 100 to 400 dollars a month depending on the unit and where you live, and renters insurance typically costs 10 to 30 dollars a month. Some rentals bundle certain utilities into the rent while others bill them separately, so read the lease. A safe approach is to treat the affordability figures here as a ceiling for total housing cost: if utilities are not included, aim for a base rent a little below the recommended number so the extras still fit inside your budget.

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