{
    "name": "Rent Calculator",
    "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/rent-calculator",
    "markdown": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/rent-calculator.md",
    "category": "Real estate",
    "description": "Estimate an affordable monthly rent from your gross income and existing debt payments, using rent-to-income and total-debt limits you can adjust.",
    "summary": "Affordable rent is usually judged two ways: rent as a share of income, and rent plus other debt payments as a share of income. The lower of the two is your limit.",
    "also_called": [
        "Rent affordability calculator",
        "Apartment affordability calculator"
    ],
    "applies_to": "Worldwide",
    "last_updated": "2026-10-29",
    "computation": "Results are computed in the visitor’s browser on the HTML page. This API describes the calculator; it does not compute results.",
    "inputs": [
        {
            "name": "income",
            "label": "Gross income (before tax)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "60000"
        },
        {
            "name": "income_period",
            "label": "Income is per",
            "type": "segmented",
            "default": "year",
            "options": {
                "year": "Year",
                "month": "Month"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "debts",
            "label": "Other monthly debt payments",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "400",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "rent_ratio",
            "label": "Maximum rent share of income",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "30",
            "unit": "%"
        },
        {
            "name": "dti",
            "label": "Maximum rent + debts share of income",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "36",
            "unit": "%"
        },
        {
            "name": "target_rent",
            "label": "Rent you are looking at (optional)",
            "type": "number",
            "default": "2000",
            "optional": true
        },
        {
            "name": "currency",
            "label": "Currency",
            "type": "currency",
            "default": "USD"
        }
    ],
    "outputs": [
        {
            "key": "max_rent",
            "label": "Affordable monthly rent",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "rent_by_ratio",
            "label": "Limit from rent share of income",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "rent_by_dti",
            "label": "Limit after other debts",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "limiting_factor",
            "label": "What limits you",
            "format": "text"
        },
        {
            "key": "annual_rent",
            "label": "Affordable rent per year",
            "format": "currency"
        },
        {
            "key": "income_needed",
            "label": "Yearly income needed for the rent you entered",
            "format": "currency"
        }
    ],
    "formula": {
        "text": "Monthly income M = yearly income ÷ 12;  Rent limit = min(M × Rent%, M × Debt% − Debts);  Income needed = 12 × max(Rent ÷ Rent%, (Rent + Debts) ÷ Debt%)",
        "variables": {
            "M": "gross monthly income",
            "Rent%": "maximum rent as a share of income",
            "Debt%": "maximum rent plus debt payments as a share of income",
            "Debts": "other monthly debt payments"
        }
    },
    "worked_example": {
        "inputs": {
            "income": "60000",
            "income_period": "year",
            "debts": "400",
            "rent_ratio": "30",
            "dti": "36",
            "target_rent": "2000",
            "currency": "USD"
        },
        "steps": [
            "Monthly income = 60,000 ÷ 12 = 5,000.",
            "Rent limit = 5,000 × 30% = 1,500.",
            "Debt limit = 5,000 × 36% − 400 = 1,400, which is lower, so 1,400 is affordable.",
            "For 2,000 rent: 2,000 ÷ 0.30 = 6,667 and 2,400 ÷ 0.36 = 6,667 a month, or 80,000 a year."
        ],
        "result": "On $60,000 a year with $400 of monthly debt payments, rent up to about $1,400 a month fits both rules."
    },
    "interpretation": "Treat the result as a ceiling, not a target. If your existing debts are the limiting factor, paying one off raises what you can afford more than a pay rise of the same size would. Many landlords also run their own income checks, so ask what they require.",
    "assumptions": [
        "Income is gross (before tax).",
        "The percentages are rules of thumb you can change, not legal or lender limits."
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Utilities, insurance, deposits and moving costs are not included.",
        "High-cost cities often push renters above 30%; your own budget is the better guide."
    ],
    "rules": null,
    "faqs": [
        {
            "question": "What is the 30% rule?",
            "answer": "A long-standing budgeting guideline that rent should take no more than 30% of gross income. It is a rough guide, not a rule set by any authority."
        },
        {
            "question": "Should I use gross or take-home pay?",
            "answer": "The usual rules use gross income. If you budget from take-home pay, enter your monthly take-home figure and raise the percentages to suit."
        }
    ],
    "sources": [],
    "related": [
        {
            "name": "Savings Goal Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/savings-goal-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Percentage Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/percentage-calculator"
        },
        {
            "name": "Debt Payoff Calculator",
            "url": "https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/debt-payoff-calculator"
        }
    ],
    "disclaimer": "This calculator gives estimates for planning. It is not financial advice, and lenders’ actual terms, fees and rounding may differ.",
    "publisher": "GM¹X CalcVerse"
}