Rent Affordability Calculator
Set a rent ceiling from your real take-home cash flow and compare it with the 30% of gross income rule.
Free · No sign-up · Your inputs stay in your browser
Your numbers
Set a rent ceiling from real cash flow
Your projection
About $1,700 a month
Cash-flow ceiling
$2,390
30% of gross income
$1,700
Move-in cash at that rent
$5,100
First month, deposit and a month of buffer.
The 30% of gross guideline dates from federal housing policy and ignores everything else in the budget. The cash-flow ceiling does not, which is why the lower of the two is the one to shop with.
About this tool
Method, assumptions, practical next steps, and limits.
Two ceilings, one budget
The 30% guideline is quick but ignores everything else you pay. A cash-flow ceiling starts from what you actually take home.
How the calculation works
Cash-flow ceiling = take-home pay − fixed costs − savings target − utilities
With $4,400 of monthly take-home pay, $1,350 of other fixed costs, a 10% savings target ($440) and $220 of utilities and renters insurance, the cash-flow ceiling is $2,390. On $68,000 of gross income, 30% is $1,700. The lower figure, $1,700, is the one to shop with, and it takes about $5,100 of cash to move in.
When the rule does not fit
In high-cost areas, 30% may be out of reach; then the cash-flow ceiling tells you what saving you give up to pay more. Landlords often screen by requiring income of about three times the rent, which is a separate test from affordability.
