Find out how much rent you can afford. This free rent calculator uses the 30% rule to recommend a rent budget from your income, with conservative and stretch ranges and a debt-adjusted maximum.
The 30% rule suggests keeping rent at or below 30% of gross income.
Results update automatically as you type. Guidelines only — landlords and your own budget set the real limit.
How the Rent Calculator Works
Figuring out how much rent you can afford starts with your gross monthly income. This calculator applies the common 30% budgeting guideline to your income, then adds a conservative and a stretch range plus a debt-adjusted maximum so you can see how existing monthly debts narrow your realistic ceiling.
Formula: Recommended max rent = Gross monthly income × 30%. Conservative = income × 25%, Stretch = income × 35%, and Max with debts = max(income × 43% − monthly debts, 0), reflecting a common rent-plus-debt ceiling.
- Gross monthly income — your pre-tax monthly income, the base the 30% rule is applied to.
- Monthly debt payments — recurring debts like loans or credit cards, used to adjust the debt-aware maximum (optional).
- Recommended max rent — 30% of gross monthly income, the calculator’s headline figure.
- Conservative (25%) — a tighter rent budget that leaves more income for other goals.
- Stretch (35%) — the upper edge of what’s often still considered affordable.
- Max with your debts — the highest rent that keeps rent plus debts under roughly 43% of income.
Example Scenarios
| Gross Monthly Income | Monthly Debts | Recommended Max Rent (30%) | Max With Debts |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $400 | $1,500 | $1,750 |
| $3,000 | $0 | $900 | $1,290 |
| $8,000 | $1,200 | $2,400 | $2,240 |
| $4,500 | $600 | $1,350 | $1,335 |
| $6,000 | $2,200 | $1,800 | $380 |
Rent Calculator FAQ
Why does the calculator use gross income instead of net income?
The 30% guideline is conventionally applied to gross (pre-tax) income because it’s the figure landlords and lenders most commonly reference on rental applications, even though your actual take-home pay after taxes is lower.What’s the difference between the conservative and stretch figures?
The conservative estimate, at 25% of income, leaves more room in your budget for savings and other expenses, while the stretch figure, at 35%, shows the upper edge of what’s often still considered affordable rent.How does entering monthly debts change my max rent?
Debts factor into the “max with your debts” figure, which caps rent plus existing debt payments at roughly 43% of gross income, a common combined debt-to-income ceiling used in housing affordability guidelines.Will landlords actually approve me at the recommended amount?
Not necessarily. Landlords set their own income requirements, often two-and-a-half to three times monthly rent, and also weigh credit history and employment stability, so this is a personal budgeting guideline rather than an approval guarantee.Is the 30% rule still a reasonable target?
It’s a long-standing budgeting rule of thumb, not a fixed requirement. Your realistically affordable rent depends on your local cost of living, other financial goals, and how much of your income already goes toward debt.Should I use gross income if I’m self-employed with irregular income?
You can, but consider using a conservative average of recent months rather than your best month, since irregular income makes committing to a fixed monthly rent riskier to size against a single high-earning month.Related Calculators
Still deciding between renting and owning, you can compare the long-run cost of renting versus buying a home, check how your existing debts stack up against your income, or work out what a security deposit will cost upfront before you sign a lease.