Rent Affordability Calculator

How much rent you can afford — and the income a rent requires.

Rent Affordability Calculator

Worked example result

Max rent at 30% of income	$1,500.00
Max rent at 28% of income	$1,400.00
Max rent at 35% of income	$1,750.00
Required gross monthly income (for the rent, 30% rule)	$5,000.00
Required gross annual income (for the rent, 30% rule)	$60,000

On $60,000 a year ($5,000 a month gross), the 30% rule caps rent at $1,500 a month; the stricter 28% level is $1,400 and a stretched 35% is $1,750.

The long-standing guideline is to keep rent at or below 30% of gross income. In income mode, enter your gross annual income to see maximum rent at the 28%, 30% and 35% levels.

In rent mode, enter a monthly rent to see the gross income it requires under the 30% rule. These are guidelines, not lender rules — high-cost cities often push households above 30%, which means trimming other spending to compensate.

The formula

Max rent (30% rule) = Gross monthly income × 0.30; Required income = Rent ÷ 0.30

Worked example

On $60,000 a year ($5,000 a month gross), the 30% rule caps rent at $1,500 a month; the stricter 28% level is $1,400 and a stretched 35% is $1,750.

The example is pre-loaded in the result panel — press Calculate with your own numbers to replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 30% rule based on gross or net income?

Gross (before tax) in its original form, which is also how most landlords apply it when checking that income is at least 3× the rent — the same rule seen from the other side.

What if rents where I live exceed 30% for everyone?

Then the rule works as a warning light rather than a hard limit: every point above 30% has to come out of other categories, which the Household Budget Calculator can help you rebalance.

Category: Everyday Life calculators

Rent Affordability Calculator