Relocation by Numbers

Housing Affordability Calculator

How much rent or house can you actually afford? Enter your income to see safe ranges for both, using the standard 30% rent rule and 28/36 debt-to-income guidelines.

Works for anyone, no specific city or move required.

See methodology
Your income
Rules of thumb here are applied to gross (pre-tax) income, matching how rent guidance and lender debt-to-income ratios are conventionally quoted. Your real after-tax budget will be tighter.
25% of gross income
$1,771/mo

The lowest of the three guidelines, so it leaves the most room for savings and surprises.

Recommended (30% rule)
$2,125/mo

The classic budgeting guideline most landlords and lenders reference.

With your other debts factored in
$2,125/mo

Keeps rent + $300/mo in other debts at or below 36% of gross income, the same back-end ratio lenders use.

These are planning guidelines, not hard limits. Landlords and lenders sometimes use stricter income multiples (e.g. requiring rent ≤ income ÷ 40). Local market conditions and your other financial goals matter too.
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How this calculator works

Enter your gross annual income and any other monthly debts. The Renting tab applies the classic 30% rule (plus a comfortable 25% and a debt-adjusted figure). The Buying tab uses the same 28/36 debt-to-income guidelines lenders reference, solving for the maximum home price your income supports at a given rate, term, and down payment.

30% rent rule

Comfortable, recommended, and debt-adjusted rent tiers.

28/36 DTI for buying

Front-end and back-end guidelines, whichever is stricter.

Monthly payment breakdown

P&I, property tax, insurance, HOA, and PMI when applicable.

State tax & insurance defaults

Optional state picker fills in typical assumptions.

Good to know before you use it

All figures use gross (pre-tax) income, matching how the 30% rule and DTI guidelines are conventionally quoted. Your real after-tax budget will be tighter.

Lenders apply both front-end and back-end ratios and use whichever is more restrictive, this tool does the same, so adding debts can only tighten your buying power, never loosen it.

These are planning guidelines, not guaranteed loan approval or lease terms.

This calculator is not financial, tax, or legal advice.

✓No account or sign-up required
✓Works for renting or buying
✓Not tied to a specific city or move

Frequently asked questions

How much of my income should go to rent?+
The classic guideline is the 30% rule, no more than 30% of gross monthly income. 25% is more comfortable; 35%+ gets tight, especially with other debts.
How much house can I afford?+
Lenders use front-end DTI (housing only, ≤28% of gross income) and back-end DTI (housing + all debts, ≤36%). Your max price is set by whichever is more restrictive.
What counts as 'other debts'?+
Car loans, student loans, credit card minimums, personal loans, recurring obligations that show up on a credit report.
Gross or net income?+
Gross (pre-tax), matching how the 30% rule and lender DTI guidelines are conventionally quoted. Your real after-tax budget will be tighter.

Ready to run the full numbers?

Once you know your range, the Mortgage Calculator covers a specific home price in detail, or plan a full relocation budget by city.

Sources and limits

Written and maintained by Relocation By Numbers. Sources and limits reviewed October 13, 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us in the feedback box below. Full methodology

City rent, home-price and property-tax defaults come from the Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 (tables B25113, B25109, B25058, B25064, B25077 and B25103). City price levels for housing, goods, utilities and other services come from BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Insurance and closing-cost defaults, and the dollar budgets for groceries, utilities, transportation, healthcare and childcare, are planning assumptions, not government data; the price-level indexes only scale them by city.

Not included

  • A planning guideline, not lending advice; PMI is estimated automatically when the down payment is below 20%.

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