Rent Calculator — Affordability & Budget Breakdown
Enter your monthly income, rent, utilities and other expenses to see your rent-to-income ratio, whether you meet the 30% guideline, and how rent fits into your full monthly budget — shown as a clear donut breakdown.
Within the 30% guideline — rent looks affordable
30 %
rent ratioRent
30%
Utilities
3%
Other expenses
30%
Savings
37%
- 1
Rent divided by income
1,500 ÷ 5,000 = 0.3 - 2
Rent-to-income ratio
0.3 × 100 = 30Under 30% is the widely accepted affordability benchmark.
How does this calculator work?
Rent-to-income ratio = (rent / gross income) × 100. Under 30% is the widely accepted affordability benchmark. Enter income, rent, utilities and other expenses to get your ratio, recommended maximum rent and a full budget breakdown.
Formula
How this is calculated
The most widely cited rental affordability guideline is the "30% rule": ideally your monthly rent should not exceed 30% of your gross monthly income. Above 30% is generally considered "cost-burdened"; above 50% is "severely cost-burdened." The rule originated from US housing policy research in the 1980s and remains a common benchmark for lenders, landlords and financial planners, though critics note it doesn't adapt well to very high or very low income levels or to cities with extreme rent-to-wage disparities.
Total housing cost includes rent plus utilities and recurring building fees. The housing-to-income ratio uses this broader figure, which is what landlords and mortgage lenders often ask about. Monthly surplus is income minus all expenses; a positive surplus is what's left for savings and unexpected costs.
The recommended maximum rent shown here is 30% of your entered gross income. This is a pre-tax guideline — if your take-home pay is significantly lower than gross, adjust the income field to your net (after-tax) income for a more conservative estimate. Neither this calculator nor the 30% rule accounts for asset wealth, debt obligations or local cost-of-living variation.
Frequently asked questions
The 30% rule says your monthly rent should be no more than 30% of your gross monthly income. For example, on a $5,000/month income, your rent should ideally stay at or below $1,500. It is a rule of thumb, not a legal limit — high earners can often afford more, and very-low-income renters may find 30% still leaves too little for necessities.
The 30% rule traditionally uses gross (pre-tax) income, because landlords typically check income before tax. For your personal budget, using your net take-home pay gives a more conservative and realistic affordability figure, since that is the money actually available to you.
It shows what fraction of your monthly income goes towards rent alone. Ratios below 30% are generally considered affordable; 30–50% is considered cost-burdened; above 50% is severely cost-burdened, leaving very little for food, transport, savings and emergencies.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Rent Calculator — Affordability & Budget Breakdown [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rent-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Rent Calculator — Affordability & Budget Breakdown." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rent-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Rent Calculator — Affordability & Budget Breakdown," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rent-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_rent_calculator, title = {Rent Calculator — Affordability & Budget Breakdown}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rent-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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