Rent Affordability Calculator

The "30% rule" is the most commonly cited guideline for how much of your income should go toward rent: spend no more than 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income on housing. It's not a law or a hard requirement, just a widely used rule of thumb that many landlords, lenders, and budgeting guides default to when screening applicants or building a budget.

This calculator applies that rule to your gross monthly income, then subtracts your existing monthly debt payments, things like a car loan, student loans, or credit card minimums, from that budget before landing on a recommended maximum rent. The reasoning is straightforward: if 30% of your income is earmarked for housing-and-debt-style fixed obligations combined, money already going toward other debt payments isn't available for rent, so it needs to come out of the same budget rather than being layered on top of it.

The stricter 25% option exists for people who want more breathing room in their budget, whether because they're prioritizing aggressive saving, live somewhere with a high cost of living beyond just rent, or simply prefer a more conservative cushion against unexpected expenses. Some financial advisors recommend 25% specifically for renters trying to save aggressively for a home down payment, since a smaller rent payment frees up more for savings.

Keep in mind this calculator only accounts for rent and existing debt, not utilities, renter's insurance, parking, or other recurring costs that come with housing but aren't part of the rent check itself. In expensive housing markets, even the 30% guideline can be difficult to hit, and many renters end up spending more; treat this number as a healthy target to aim for rather than a hard ceiling.