A common rule of thumb is that rent should take no more than about 30% of your monthly income. Enter your net monthly income and this tool shows the rent that ratio allows, alongside conservative (25%), moderate (30%) and stretch (35%) bands. Add your other monthly debt payments to see what’s left over. It calculates on your device, in any currency.
Enter your monthly income to see how much rent you can afford.
A budgeting guideline, not a guarantee. Base rent only — add utilities separately, and lenders may weigh your total debts too.
How it works
The headline figure is your income multiplied by the ratio you choose (30% by default). The three bands apply the widely used 25/30/35% thresholds so you can see the trade-off: 25% leaves plenty of breathing room, 30% is the standard target, and 35% is the upper limit most budgeting guides suggest before rent starts crowding out everything else.
If you enter your existing monthly debt payments — loan instalments, card minimums — the tool shows what’s left after the recommended rent and those debts, a quick sanity check on whether the number is really livable. It uses net (take-home) income, which suits markets like Serbia where rent is judged against what actually lands in your account.
Practical examples
The standard 30% target
On 100,000 net a month, the 30% rule suggests up to 30,000 for rent. The bands show 25,000 (comfortable), 30,000 (standard) and 35,000 (stretch).
Playing it safe
Set the ratio to 25% on the same income and your target rent drops to 25,000 — a sensible choice if your job is variable or you’re saving hard.
Checking with debts
Add 15,000 of monthly loan payments: after a 30,000 rent, 55,000 is left of the 100,000 for everything else — food, bills, savings. If that feels tight, drop to a lower band.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the 30% rule come from?
It’s a long-standing budgeting guideline: keep housing to about a third of income so enough remains for everything else. It’s a starting point, not a law — your ideal share depends on your other costs, savings goals and job stability.
Should I use gross or net income?
This tool uses net (take-home) income, which is the realistic basis in Serbia and much of Europe — you pay rent from what actually reaches your account. Some US guidance uses gross; if you prefer that, enter your gross figure instead.
Does "rent" here include bills?
No — treat the result as base rent. Utilities, heating, internet and building fees come on top. If your rent is all-inclusive, the 30% target is more generous; if bills are separate, lean towards the conservative band.
What ratio should I actually aim for?
Around 30% suits most people. Go lower (25%) if your income varies, you have debts, or you’re saving for a deposit. Above 35% is generally considered rent-burdened and leaves little slack for emergencies.
How do my other debts change things?
Lenders often look at total obligations, not just rent — rent plus loan and card payments ideally staying under about 40% of income. The leftover figure this tool shows helps you judge whether rent plus your debts still leaves enough to live on.
Is this the same as a mortgage affordability check?
No. Buying involves a deposit, interest rate, term and often insurance. For that, use the mortgage calculator; this tool is purely for renting.
Does it account for flatmates?
Only if you enter your share. If you split rent, enter your personal income and judge against your portion of the rent, not the whole flat.
What currency does it use?
Any — it’s currency-neutral. Enter dinars, euros or whatever you’re paid in; every figure comes out in the same unit.
Is my income stored anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded and analytics never receives your figures.
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