Functioning Human™ tools

Rent affordability calculator

See the rent that fits your income, and whether a place you’re looking at passes the usual checks.

Everyone who’ll be on the lease.
After tax. Optional, for the half-of-take-home check.
Car, student loans, card minimums.
Optional: see how it compares.

Add your yearly income to see the range.

Questions

How much of my income should go to rent?

A widely used guideline is about 30% of gross income. It’s a starting point, not a rule: high-cost cities push it up, and debts pull it down.

What is the 40× rent rule?

Many landlords look for a yearly income of about 40 times the monthly rent (so $2,000 rent means about $80,000 a year). Requirements vary, so ask each landlord.

Why show more than one number?

Each rule of thumb answers a different question: what’s sensible, what a landlord will accept, and what leaves room once debts are paid. The lowest is a comfortable ceiling; the highest is a stretch.