Rent Affordability Calculator
Work out how much rent you can afford from your income and debts, using the 30% rule and the 36% debt-to-income rule.
Enter your gross income — the numbers update as you type.
- Gross monthly income
- —
- Max rent (30% rule)
- —
- Max rent (36% debt rule)
- —
- Recommended max rent
- —
- Rent-to-income ratio
- —
- Verdict
- —
- Annual income landlords ask for (40×)
- —
- Left over each month
- —
These are budgeting rules of thumb, not financial advice or a promise that a landlord will approve you. Local rents, tax rates, childcare, debt and savings goals all change what is genuinely affordable for you.
How it works
The calculator uses the two rules landlords and budget guides lean on. The first is the
30% rule: max rent = gross monthly income × 30%. That is the same
thing as the “annual income must be 40× the monthly rent” requirement on US listings, because
annual income ÷ 40 equals monthly income × 30%. The “3× the rent” rule you see elsewhere is
slightly looser at 33.3%. You can change the percentage — 25% is cautious, 35–40% is what many
people in expensive cities actually pay.
The second is the 36% back-end debt-to-income rule:
max rent = gross monthly income × 36% − other monthly debt payments, where debt
payments are car loans, student loans, credit-card minimums and personal loans. The
recommended figure is the lower of the two, so a big car payment pulls your rent budget down.
If you also fill in your take-home pay and other essentials, you get the cash actually left
over each month after rent, debts and bills — the number that decides whether a place feels
comfortable or tight.
Everything is worked out in your browser with plain JavaScript. Your income, debts and rent are never uploaded, stored or sent anywhere, and there are no ads or sign-ups.
Frequently asked questions
How much rent can I afford on my salary?
The usual starting point is the 30% rule: your rent should be no more than 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income. On a $60,000 salary that is $5,000 a month gross, so about $1,500 in rent. Landlords express the same test as "annual income must be 40× the monthly rent", which is arithmetically identical: $1,500 × 40 = $60,000. The looser "3× the rent" rule allows 33.3%. This calculator also applies the 36% back-end debt-to-income rule — gross monthly income × 36% minus your other monthly debt payments — and recommends whichever of the two figures is lower, because a $400 car payment genuinely shrinks what you can pay in rent.
Should the 30% rule use gross or net income?
The classic rule and every landlord screening test use gross, pre-tax income, and that is what this calculator asks for. It is the number on your offer letter or payslip before tax and deductions, so it is comparable across applicants. The catch is that 30% of gross can be 40% or more of your actual take-home pay in a high-tax country. That is why there is an optional take-home field: fill it in along with your other monthly essentials and the calculator shows the cash genuinely left over after rent, debts and bills — the number that decides whether a place feels comfortable or tight.
What if the rent I want is over the 30% limit?
Paying more than 30% is common in expensive cities and is not automatically a mistake — the rule is a guideline, not a law. Raise the rent-to-income percentage in the calculator to 35% or 40% and check the left-over figure: if you still cover debts, essentials and savings with room to spare, the higher rent may be fine. If not, the levers are a cheaper unit, a roommate to split the rent, paying down a loan to free up the 36% debt rule, a guarantor or co-signer, or offering a larger deposit. Some landlords also accept several months' rent up front when income alone does not clear their 40× threshold.