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Rent Affordability Calculator: How Much Rent Can I Afford on My Net Income?

The 30% rule is a starting point, not the answer. Add your net (take-home) income, savings goal, and an itemized list of monthly expenses (debt payments included) to see a max rent that fits your whole budget. Two benchmarks are shown side by side so you know which one is binding.

Your max rent

Awaiting income
$—/ mo

Add a net monthly income to see your recommended max rent. Savings target and itemized expenses sharpen the answer.

01 — Your numbers

What's coming in and going out.

Use the take-home figure that lands in your account. List every monthly expense, including debt payments, so the budget benchmark reflects your real situation.

Monthly expenses

Add every recurring spend: debt payments (student loan, car, credit cards), groceries, utilities, transit, phone, subscriptions. The clearer the breakdown, the more honest the budget number.

No expenses added yet.

Use "add common" for a starting list.

Or

Net income / mo

$0.00

take-home

Non-rent commitments

$0.00

savings + expenses

Free for rent

$0.00

after the above

02 — Stress test

Try a specific rent.

Plug a number you've seen on a listing and see how it squares with your budget.

Add your income above to enable the stress test.

Tip. Everything runs on net (take-home) income.

FAQ

Rent on your
own terms.

How the benchmarks work, which numbers to use for income, and what to do if the 30% rule isn't realistic in your city.

  • 01What's the 30% rule for rent?

    The 30% rule is the heuristic that you shouldn't spend more than 30% of your monthly income on rent. The calculator applies it to your net (take-home) income, which is the number that lands in your account and the one you'll budget against. It's useful as a benchmark, but it doesn't account for your debts, savings goals, or other living expenses, which is why the calculator pairs it with a budget-driven max.

  • 02What counts as net monthly income?

    Net monthly income is your take-home pay after federal, state, and local taxes, plus retirement contributions, health insurance premiums, and any other automatic payroll deductions. On a US paycheck, it's the deposit amount per pay period. If you're paid biweekly, multiply that deposit by 2.17 (or by 26 and divide by 12) to get the monthly equivalent.

  • 03What if 30% of my income isn't realistic in my city?

    In high-cost metros 30% of net income is sometimes impossible without roommates. The budget-driven benchmark is the safety net for that case. If your full budget supports a higher number than 30% (because you have low debts and modest savings goals), the calculator still respects that. If it doesn't, lowering the savings target or trimming living expenses moves the budget number up. The Roommate Split tool can also help model whether splitting a place makes the math work.

  • 04Which expenses should I add to the list?

    List every recurring monthly outflow that isn't rent. Debt payments belong here (student loan, car payment, credit card minimums) right alongside the typical living costs: groceries, utilities, transit or gas, phone, internet, streaming, gym, and any subscriptions. The clearer the breakdown, the more honest the budget benchmark becomes. Use 'add common' for a starter list and edit from there.

  • 05How is the recommended max chosen?

    The calculator computes two benchmarks (the 30% rule applied to net income, and your full budget after savings and itemized expenses), then recommends the lower of the two. The tightest one wins because each captures a different kind of risk: the 30% rule keeps your housing share conservative, and the budget rule keeps the rest of your life funded.

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