TrueAffordRent Affordability Calculator
What can you actually afford to rent?
Most rent calculators show you one number: 30% of your income. This one checks that, plus the landlord screening rule almost nobody explains, plus whether your budget actually survives the rent after renters insurance, utilities, and real expenses.
Your result
Max affordable rent — $2,400
Bound by: 30% of gross income
- 30% of gross income
- $2,400
- 40x annual income (screening)
- $2,400
- Leftover income after real expenses
- $4,330
The 30% rule and the 40x screening rule are mathematically the same threshold — landlords verify it strictly against gross annual income. The leftover-income rule often binds tighter once renters insurance, utilities, and real-life expenses are counted.
Left over each month at this rent
$1,930
Frequently asked questions
Why are there three different numbers?
Because three independent things can stop you from getting or keeping an apartment at a given rent: the informal 30%-of-income guideline, a landlord's formal income verification, and whether your own budget actually survives the payment. The lowest of the three is your real ceiling.
What is the 40x rule, and why does it matter?
Many landlords require annual gross income to be at least 40 times the monthly rent before they'll approve an application. It turns out this is mathematically identical to the 30%-of-income rule — but landlords apply it strictly against verified gross income, with no room for the rounding or optimism people apply to their own mental math.
Why does renters insurance count here?
It's a real, usually-required monthly cost of renting that a simple 30%-of-income calculation ignores. This calculator includes it — along with utilities — in the leftover-income test, since that's the number that determines whether the rent actually fits your budget.
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