Work out what rent fits comfortably within your monthly budget, based on your income and existing debt.
Landlords and lenders both lean on the same rule of thumb: no more than 28% of gross income spent on housing alone, and no more than 36% once every other recurring debt is added in. It's the same 28/36 guideline banks use to size a mortgage, borrowed here for rent — the logic is identical whether the monthly housing payment goes to a landlord or a lender. Staying near the lower end leaves more breathing room for savings, emergencies, and the debts that inevitably show up over a lease term.
Both figures this calculator shows are really one number — a cap on total monthly obligations — with your existing debt subtracted out first. A $500 car payment doesn't just cost you $500; it costs you $500 of rent-affordability too, since lenders and landlords are ultimately judging your total monthly commitments against your income, not rent in isolation.
No — it's a guideline based on common income-to-rent ratios. Individual landlords set their own requirements, which can be stricter (or occasionally looser) than the numbers shown here.
Gross (pre-tax) income — that's what both landlords and the 28/36 rule are measured against, even though it's not the amount that actually lands in your bank account.
The maximum reflects the outer limit landlords and lenders typically tolerate; the recommended figure leaves more of your income free for savings, irregular expenses, and future debt without stretching your budget to its ceiling.
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