🔑 Before you apply

Rent Affordability Calculator

See the most rent your income qualifies for under the rules landlords use, or the income a rent needs. Add roommates to combine incomes.

Check the numbers
What do you want to know?
Income before tax
Use gross income, before tax: it's what landlords usually check. Hourly pay is turned into a yearly income at your hours a week × 52 weeks.

The three rules, side by side

  • The 3× rule. Many landlords ask for a monthly income before tax of at least three times the rent; Apartment List calls 3x gross monthly income a common version of the requirement. Rent can then be up to a third of your income.
  • The 40× rule. In New York City, landlords typically expect a yearly income of 40 times the monthly rent, StreetEasy explains; a guarantor usually needs about 80 times.
  • The 30% guideline. A budgeting rule rather than a landlord's test: keep rent to about 30% of your income before tax. The US government uses the same line: HUD counts households as cost burdened when housing costs exceed 30% of income.

Here's what they mean on a $60,000 salary, which is $5,000 a month before tax:

RuleHighest rent
3× rule$1,666.67 a month
40× rule$1,500.00 a month
30% guideline$1,500.00 a month

The 40× rule and the 30% guideline always agree: 40 months of rent a year is the same as rent at 30% of your income. The 3× rule is a little looser, at about 33%.

Gross or net income?

Landlords' rules use your income before tax (gross), so that's what the calculator asks for. Your own budget is a different question: rent comes out of your take-home pay, along with everything else. If the highest rent the rules allow would leave too little for bills, food and savings, aim lower.

Renting with roommates

Landlords count roommates differently. Some add everyone's income together. StreetEasy says New York landlords typically expect each person on the lease to earn 40 times their own share of the rent. Use Income I need with the number of people to see both, and ask the landlord which they use.

If you don't meet the requirement

Ask what else the landlord accepts. A guarantor who signs for the lease is the usual alternative, and Apartment List says guarantors are commonly asked for around 80 times the monthly rent in yearly income. Some landlords look at savings or a larger deposit instead; every landlord sets its own rules.

🏠 Rent Split Calculator 🧾 Split Expenses Calculator 📅 Prorated Rent Calculator

Frequently asked questions

How much rent can I afford on $50,000 a year?
Up to $1,388.89 a month under the 3× rule, and $1,250 under the 40× rule or the 30% guideline. That's before tax: check what's left of your take-home pay too.
How much rent can I afford making $20 an hour?
Working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, $20 an hour is $41,600 a year. That qualifies for up to $1,155.56 a month under the 3× rule and $1,040 under the 40× rule.
Is the 3x rent rule based on gross or net income?
Usually gross: your income before tax. Ask the landlord if you're not sure, since each one sets its own requirement.
What is the 40x rent rule?
A New York City convention: your yearly income should be at least 40 times the monthly rent. For a $2,000 apartment, that's $80,000 a year. A guarantor usually needs about 80 times the rent.
Does the calculator save my income?
No. It runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.