Rent Affordability Calculator
Find how much rent you can afford based on your income.
What is the Rent Affordability Calculator?
This tool applies the widely cited "30% rule" — spend no more than 30% of gross (pre-tax) monthly income on rent — and lets you adjust that percentage to fit your own financial situation.
The formula
Maximum Rent = Gross Monthly Income × Target Percentage.
How to use it
- Enter your gross (before tax) monthly income.
- Adjust the percentage if 30% doesn't fit your situation — someone with significant debt payments might target 20–25%, while someone with few other expenses might comfortably go higher.
The 30% guideline is a general budgeting rule of thumb, not a number landlords or lenders are bound by (many require net income to be roughly 2.5–3× the rent, which is a related but different check) — and it doesn't account for your specific debts, savings goals or cost of living in your area.
Want the "why" behind this tool? Read The 30% Rent Rule Isn't a Law — It's a Starting Point.