FREE TOOL
Rent Affordability Calculator
See the rent you can actually afford on your income, and whether the rent you already pay is quietly eating your budget.
YOUR RENT CEILING
About what you can comfortably afford
$1,500/mo
On a $60,000 income, the standard 30% guideline puts your rent ceiling near $1,500 a month. Staying at 25% ($1,250) leaves room to save. Past 35% ($1,750) your budget starts to feel tight.
On a gross income of $60,000 a year, a healthy rent is about $1,500 per month, which is 30% of gross monthly income. A comfortable target is $1,250 (25%) and the stretch limit is $1,750 (35%).
The 30% line is the standard ceiling. Past 50% you are severely cost-burdened.
| Gross monthly income | $5,000 |
|---|---|
| Comfortable rent (25%) | $1,250 |
| Standard ceiling (30%) | $1,500 |
| Stretch limit (35%) | $1,750 |
Base rent only. Utilities, insurance, and parking are on top. Guidelines use gross income and are not a promise a landlord will approve you.
Educational budgeting math. Not financial advice.
How much rent can you afford?
The common guideline is the 30% rule: your rent should be no more than 30% of your gross, before-tax income. On a $60,000 salary that is about $1,500 a month. It is a guardrail, not a law. Households spending more than 30% of income on housing are officially defined as cost-burdened, and those above 50% as severely cost-burdened, because rent that large crowds out saving, emergencies, and everything else.
Is your rent too high?
Divide your monthly rent by your gross monthly income. Under 30% is affordable. Between 30% and 50% you are cost-burdened. Above 50% you are severely cost-burdened, spending more on shelter than on all other needs combined. High local prices can force this on people, but if your number is above 30% it is worth knowing by exactly how much.
How much should you spend on rent?
As little as keeps you comfortable. 25% of gross income leaves real room to save and absorb surprises. 30% is the standard ceiling. Past 35% you are trading long-term savings for square footage, and the gap compounds. The money you do not spend on rent is the money that eventually works for you instead of your landlord.
Frequently asked questions
How much rent can I afford?
A common guideline is the 30% rule: spend no more than 30% of your gross monthly income on rent. On a $60,000 salary that is about $1,500 a month. Spending 25% is comfortable, 35% is a stretch, and above that your budget gets tight.
What is the 30% rule for rent?
The 30% rule says your rent should be at most 30% of your gross, before-tax income. It is a rough guardrail, not a law. It exists because households paying more than 30% on housing are officially defined as cost-burdened.
Is my rent too high?
If your rent is more than 30% of your gross monthly income you are cost-burdened. Above 50% you are severely cost-burdened. Both are signs your rent is high relative to your income, though local prices and your other costs matter too.
How much should I spend on rent?
As little as keeps you comfortable. 25% of gross income leaves room to save and absorb surprises. 30% is the standard ceiling. Past 35% you are trading long-term savings for square footage.
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
It splits after-tax income into 50% needs, 30% wants, and 20% savings. Rent sits inside needs, so on a tight budget rent plus other essentials should stay near half your take-home pay.
Does this include utilities?
No. This is base rent only. Utilities, renters insurance, and parking are on top, so leave a margin below the ceiling this tool shows.
How this is calculated
We convert your income to a gross monthly figure, then apply the standard affordability bands: 25% for comfortable, 30% for the standard ceiling, and 35% for a stretch. If you enter your current rent, we divide it by gross monthly income to find your rent-to-income ratio, and compare it to the cost-burden thresholds used in housing research: 30% (cost-burdened) and 50% (severely cost-burdened).
These are gross-income guidelines and cover base rent only. They do not include utilities, insurance, or your other debts, and they do not account for local rent levels. Figures compiled by Tesseract Research. Not financial advice.
Rent is the money that leaves. The rest is the money that can grow.
Keeping rent below the ceiling frees up the savings that build wealth over time. Tesseract Stock Agent is our structured research workflow for putting that money to work with discipline instead of guesswork. No hype, no picks, no slop.
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