Marcos Moreno

How much rent can I afford on $100,000 a year? The quick answer: about $2,500 a month under the classic 30% rule, the same figure most landlords’ 40× income test gives. But that number is based on pay before taxes. On your actual take-home pay of about $6,600 a month, a rent of $1,650–$1,980 is … Read more

How much rent can I afford on $75,000 a year? The quick answer: about $1,875 a month under the classic 30% rule, the same figure most landlords’ 40× income test gives. But that number is based on pay before taxes. On your actual take-home pay of about $5,130 a month, a rent of $1,280–$1,540 is … Read more

How much rent can I afford on $60,000 a year? The quick answer: about $1,500 a month under the classic 30% rule, the same figure most landlords’ 40× income test gives. But that number is based on pay before taxes. On your actual take-home pay of about $4,200 a month, a rent of $1,050–$1,260 is … Read more

How much rent can I afford on $40,000 a year? The quick answer: about $1,000 a month under the classic 30% rule, the same figure most landlords’ 40× income test gives. But that number is based on pay before taxes. On your actual take-home pay of about $2,860 a month, a rent of $720–$860 is … Read more

The typical U.S. rent needs about $77,900 a year, or $37.46 an hour. See the income needed in all 50 largest metros, from Louisville to San Jose, using Zillow data.

On $50,000 a year the 30% rule says $1,250 a month, but a comfortable target is $900 to $1,050. A table for other salaries and a full budget at each rent level.

$15 an hour full time is about $2,270 a month after federal taxes. Take-home pay at 40, 30 and 20 hours, a line-by-line sample budget and 7 moves that matter.