Rent Affordability Calculator
How much rent can you afford? Calculate your maximum rent using the 30% rule, split rent fairly between roommates, or see how a proposed rent impacts your monthly budget. Works with any currency.
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How to Use This Calculator
Tab "Max Rent"
Enter your gross monthly income (or switch to annual), other debt payments, and your estimated tax rate. The calculator shows your maximum affordable rent using the 30% rule (based on gross income) and the 50/30/20 rule (based on net income). It also displays affordability zones: comfortable, stretch, and risky.
Tab "Roommate Split"
Enter the total monthly rent, the number of roommates, and choose a split method: equal, by room size (sqft/sqm), or by income. For room size splits, enter the size of each room. For income splits, enter each person's monthly income. The calculator shows each person's fair share.
Tab "Budget Impact"
Enter your monthly income and a proposed rent amount. The calculator shows what percentage of your income goes to rent, whether it passes the 30% benchmark, and an estimated breakdown of what remains for food, transport, savings, and other expenses.
The Formulas
Max Rent = Gross Monthly Income × 30%
50/30/20 rule (net income):
Max Housing (all needs) = Net Monthly Income × 50%
Net Monthly Income = Gross × (1 − Tax Rate)
Roommate split by room size:
Your Share = (Your Room sqft / Total sqft) × Total Rent
Roommate split by income:
Your Share = (Your Income / Total Incomes) × Total Rent
Rent-to-income ratio:
Ratio = (Proposed Rent / Monthly Income) × 100
All calculations are universal and pre-tax (unless you provide a tax rate for the 50/30/20 rule). No country-specific data is applied. Results are estimates.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — $5,000/mo gross income, 30% rule
A person earns $5,000 per month gross and wants to know the maximum rent they can afford.
The 30% rule says $1,500 max. The 50/30/20 rule allows up to $1,875 for all housing needs (rent + utilities + insurance). At $1,500, this person is in the comfortable zone.
Example 2 — $3,200/mo rent, 3 roommates split by room size
Three roommates share a $3,200/month apartment. Their rooms are 150, 120, and 100 square feet.
The person with the largest room pays the most. This method is fairer than equal splitting when rooms are significantly different sizes.
Example 3 — $4,500 income, $1,800 rent = 40% stretch zone
A renter earns $4,500 per month and is considering an apartment at $1,800 per month.
At 40% of income, this is in the "stretch zone." The renter has $2,700 left for all other expenses. To reach the 30% benchmark, they would need to find rent at $1,350 or less.