Rent Affordability Calculator
How much rent can you actually afford? Based on your income, monthly debts, and savings rate, this calculator finds your safe rent range and explains what the numbers mean.
Your affordable rent range
- Safe rent (30% rule)—
- With savings & expenses covered—
- Debt-to-income ratio—
- Remaining after rent—
What this means
Gross × Rule%.Related guides
How much rent can you afford?
Most financial advisors use two quick rules of thumb to size a rent budget:
- The 30% rule: keep rent at or below 30% of your gross monthly income. In expensive cities like New York or San Francisco, 35% is often used; in low-cost areas, 25% is comfortable.
- The debt-to-income (DTI) ceiling: your total monthly debt payments — rent included — should stay below 43% of gross income. Above that, lenders and landlords see you as over-leveraged.
This calculator uses both, then subtracts your other monthly expenses and savings target to give you a realistic "leftover" number.
How the calculation works
SafeRent = GrossIncome × Rule%
DTI = (MonthlyDebts + Rent) ÷ GrossIncome × 100
AfterRent = GrossIncome − Debts − Expenses − SavingsTarget
The AfterRent number is the true test: if you subtract your rent from what’s left after debts, expenses, and savings, and the result is still positive, your budget is realistic. If it’s negative, that rent level is unsustainable.
Worked example
Take a gross income of $5,000/month, $600 in debts, $900 in other expenses, and a $400 savings target:
- Safe rent at 30% = $5,000 × 0.30 = $1,500
- DTI if rent = $1,500: ($600 + $1,500) ÷ $5,000 = 42% — just under the 43% ceiling ✓
- After rent: $5,000 − $600 − $900 − $400 − $1,500 = $1,600 remaining — comfortable ✓