Quick Answer — How Much Rent Can I Afford?
Recommended maximum rent = Gross monthly income × Target percentage, where the target percentage is most commonly 30% (the standard rule of thumb), though 25% is a more conservative target and 35-40% is common in expensive markets out of necessity rather than by choice.
Quick reference (at the standard 30% target): $4,000/month gross income → $1,200 max rent. $5,000/month → $1,500. $6,000/month → $1,800. $8,000/month → $2,400.
But income alone is an incomplete picture. This calculator also factors in your existing monthly debt payments (student loans, car payments, credit cards) to compute a combined ratio — rent plus debt as a share of income — because that's closer to what a landlord's income-verification screening or a lender's debt-to-income check actually evaluates, and it's where the simple 30%-of-income rule can quietly mislead someone carrying meaningful debt.