How Much Rent Can I Afford?
Free · no sign-up · reviewed September 2026
Apartment hunting and not sure what you can actually afford? This shows a comfortable monthly rent based on your income, using the classic 30% rule, and factors in the landlord requirement that your income be at least three times the rent.
Adjust the percentage to see a conservative, recommended, or stretch budget.
Drag to adjust
Your numbers
Car, student loans, min. credit card
Electric, gas, water, trash — HUD counts these as housing cost
Your numbers save automatically on this device. The link opens this calculator with these exact numbers filled in, so you can bookmark a scenario or send it to someone. Printing gives you a clean sheet of just your numbers and the answer.
You can comfortably afford about
$1,500
30% of a $60,000 income
💡 On a $60,000 income, keeping rent near $1,500 (30% of gross) leaves room for saving, debt and life. Many landlords also require your gross income to be at least 3x the rent, about $1,667 in your case.
$1,250
Conservative
25% of income
$1,500
Recommended
30% of income
$1,750
Stretch
35% of income
- Rent$1,500
- Everything else$3,500
- Gross monthly income
- $5,000
- Recommended rent (30%)
- $1,500
- Conservative (25%)
- $1,250
- Landlord 3x-income max
- $1,667
- HUD cost-burden line (30% incl. utilities)
- $1,500
- Left after rent, utilities & debt
- $3,500
Rent Affordability Calculator · Far Better Off
https://farbetteroff.com/calculators/rent-affordability-calculator
Open that link to get this calculator back with these exact numbers. Estimates for education only — Far Better Off is not a lender or a financial advisor, and these results are not financial advice.
The 2-minute guide
The 30% rule
A long-standing guideline is to spend no more than 30% of your gross (pre-tax) monthly income on rent. It's a starting point, not a law: in expensive cities people often go higher, while a lower share frees up more for saving and debt.
The landlord 3x rule
Most landlords want to see gross monthly income of at least three times the rent, which is the same as the 33% guideline. If your income is below 3x, you may need a co-signer, a bigger deposit, or a cheaper place.
Count your other debts
Rent doesn't exist in a vacuum. Car payments, student loans and credit cards all compete for the same paycheck. This calculator caps rent plus other debt at 36% of gross income — the back-end ratio of the 28/36 lending convention. Mortgage underwriting allows more when it has to: FHA's manual-underwriting thresholds are 43%, and 47% with a documented compensating factor and a credit score of 580 or better (HUD Handbook 4000.1 II.A.5.d). Those are the limits of what a lender will accept, not a comfortable target.
Utilities count too, and that's not just an opinion
HUD defines a household as 'cost burdened' when gross housing costs — including utility costs — exceed 30% of gross income, and 'severely cost burdened' above 50% (24 CFR § 91.5). So the familiar 30% line is about rent *plus* the electric, gas and water bills you pay on top of it. Rent at exactly 30% of your income with a $180 utility bill is already over HUD's line. Enter what you pay above the rent and this calculator shows where that line actually falls for you.
The other federal 30% is not 30% of your paycheck
Households in public housing and the Housing Choice Voucher program pay the highest of 30% of monthly *adjusted* income, 10% of monthly income, or a minimum rent (24 CFR § 5.628). Adjusted income is income after deductions for dependents, elderly or disabled status, large medical bills and childcare (24 CFR § 5.611) — so for a family with children it is meaningfully below gross. The budgeting rule of thumb borrowed the number 30 from that formula but applies it to gross income, which is a stricter test on the same household.
Don't forget move-in and extras
Budget for a security deposit (often one month), first and sometimes last month up front, utilities, renters insurance and commuting. The sticker rent is rarely the full monthly cost.
Frequently asked questions
How much rent can I afford on my salary?
A common rule is 30% of your gross monthly income. On a $60,000 salary ($5,000 a month), that's about $1,500 in rent. Adjust up or down based on your other debts and savings goals.
What is the 30% rule for rent?
It suggests spending no more than 30% of your gross (pre-tax) income on rent. It's a guideline for keeping housing affordable, not a strict limit, and many people in high-cost areas spend more.
Why do landlords want 3x the rent?
Requiring gross income of at least three times the rent is how landlords check you can reliably cover it. It's roughly the same as the 33% affordability guideline. Below that, expect to need a co-signer or larger deposit.
Should rent be based on gross or net income?
The 30% and 3x rules use gross (pre-tax) income, because that's what landlords verify. Just remember your take-home pay is lower, so also sanity-check rent against what actually lands in your account.
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