Rent-to-Income Ratio Calculator
Calculate the rent-to-income ratio to screen tenants or assess your own affordability.
The 30% rule states that rent should not exceed 30% of gross monthly income. Most landlords use a 3× monthly rent income requirement when screening tenants. Enter the monthly rent and applicant's gross income to instantly see the ratio and whether the applicant meets the standard threshold.
Inputs
Results
Rent-to-Income Ratio
28.57%
Affordable (≤30%)
✓ Affordable (≤30%)
Max Affordable at 30%
$2,100
Income Needed for this Rent (30% rule)
$6,667
Understanding This Calculator
Learn the 30% rule and the 3× income screen — the two standard ways landlords and tenants judge whether a rent level is affordable.
How the math works
Rent-to-income ratio = monthly rent ÷ gross monthly income × 100%.
The long-standing benchmark is the 30% rule: housing is considered affordable when rent takes no more than 30% of gross (pre-tax) income. Landlords usually apply the same test flipped around as an income requirement: income must be at least 3× the monthly rent — mathematically 33%, essentially the same screen.
The calculator also inverts the formula both ways: max affordable rent = income × 30%, and income needed = rent ÷ 30%, so either side of a tenancy can start from the number they know.
Worked example
Using the defaults: rent of $2,000 and gross monthly income of $7,000.
- Ratio = 2,000 ÷ 7,000 = 28.6% — under the 30% threshold, so the rent passes the standard screen
- Max affordable rent at 30% = 7,000 × 0.30 = $2,100
- Income needed for $2,000 rent = 2,000 ÷ 0.30 ≈ $6,667/month (about $80,000/year)
The same applicant at $2,400 rent would sit at 34.3% — above the guideline, which most landlords would treat as a caution flag rather than an automatic rejection.
How to read the result
Treat 30% as a screening line, not a verdict. Under 30% generally indicates comfortable affordability; 30–40% is stretched — workable for high earners with low debts, risky for tight budgets; over 40% leaves little room for utilities, food, and savings and predicts payment stress.
Context matters in both directions: a student with guarantor support or an applicant with substantial savings can be fine above 30%, while someone with car loans and child-care costs may struggle below it. Landlords should apply the same ratio consistently to every applicant — screening standards must respect human-rights and fair-housing rules on income sources in your jurisdiction.