All regions · 2026
Rent affordability calculator
How much rent your salary supports, by the rules landlords and budgets actually use, measured against what you really take home after tax where you live. Have a place in mind? Enter its rent to check it.
Before tax, for one earner. Rent per month; include utilities if you pay them separately.
Rent you can afford in Bern, per month
CHF 2,500
30% of your gross pay, the standard affordability line. For a tighter budget, keep it nearer CHF 1,832.
- Take-home a month
- CHF 6,108
- Of take-home
- 41%
The rent each rule allows
| Rule | Max rent | Of take-home |
|---|---|---|
| 30% of gross payThe most widely used rule. In the US it is HUD's line for a household being cost burdened by housing. | CHF 2,500 | 41% |
| 30% of take-homeA tighter budget, measured on the pay that actually reaches your account. | CHF 1,832 | 30% |
| 50/30/20 needs budget50% of take-home for rent, utilities, groceries, transport and minimum debt payments together. | CHF 3,054 | 50% |
Take-home is CHF 73,296 a year after 27% in income tax and social security. See every deduction on CHF 100,000 in Bern
Why take-home pay matters
Affordability rules are set on gross pay, but rent comes out of take-home pay. The same $60,000 salary keeps you more in Texas, which has no state income tax, than in New York or California, so the same rent leaves a different amount for everything else. Most rent calculators ignore tax. This one runs your salary through the same tax engine as our salary calculators, for 30 European countries, every US state, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Gulf.
The rules are guides, not limits. Utilities, commuting costs, debt and childcare all change what is comfortable, and in expensive cities many people spend more than 30%. If a rent passes the landlord test but leaves little each month, the net to gross calculator shows the salary to ask for to make it work.
Common questions
How much rent can I afford on my salary?
The most common rule is 30% of your gross pay: on $60,000 a year that is $1,500 a month. Because tax comes out first, that rent is a larger share of what you actually take home, 36% in Texas at that salary, and more in places with higher taxes. The calculator shows both.
Is the 30% rule based on gross or net income?
Gross. HUD counts a household as cost burdened when rent plus utilities is more than 30% of its gross income, and severely cost burdened above 50%. A budget built on take-home pay is stricter, which is why the calculator also shows 30% of take-home.
What is the 40x rent rule?
Many US landlords, especially in New York, want your annual gross income to be at least 40 times the monthly rent: $80,000 a year for a $2,000 apartment. Others ask for a monthly income of 3 times the rent, which is 36 times the rent a year. These are landlord practices, not laws, and a guarantor can usually stand in if you fall short.
What income do I need to rent in the UK?
Most UK letting agents ask for an annual income of at least 30 times the monthly rent, so £1,500 a month needs £45,000 a year. If you'd rather spend no more than 30% of take-home on rent, you'd need about £85,247 gross.
What does the 50/30/20 rule mean for rent?
The 50/30/20 budget puts 50% of after-tax pay towards needs, 30% towards wants and 20% towards savings and debt. Rent is only one of the needs: utilities, groceries, transport and minimum loan payments share the same half, so plan rent well under it.
Does this work for couples or shared flats?
The figures are for one earner. For a couple, run each salary on its own and add the rent each supports; landlords usually add incomes together for their tests. For a shared flat, check your share of the rent against your own salary.
Sources: HUD, “Rental Burdens: Rethinking Affordability Measures” (PD&R Edge); Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi, All Your Worth (2005). Landlord income tests are market practice and vary by landlord. Estimates for planning, not financial advice.