Rent affordability calculator

Under the usual 30 percent rule, if you earn $4,000 a month before taxes, you can afford about $1,200 a month in rent. HUD, the federal housing department, starts from the same 30 percent to set what you pay in Section 8 and public housing.

Before taxes. The 30 percent rule uses your income before taxes. Housing offices start there too, then take off deductions, such as a set amount for each child and some childcare and medical costs. Your take-home pay is smaller, so if you have little left over each month, aim for the comfortable end of your range.

Only debt payments above 20 percent of your income lower it, dollar for dollar. Car loans, student loans and minimum credit card payments count. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal agency that protects people in money matters, suggests renters keep debt payments at 15 to 20 percent of their income or less, so we use 20 percent as the line. Taking debts off the rent this way is our own method, not a CFPB rule.

Because the 30 percent rule is a guide, and what you can pay depends on your whole budget. The calculator shows 25 percent of your income as comfortable and 35 percent as tight, because 35 percent is more than the rule advises. This range is a common guide, not an official rule. Debts above 20 percent of your income lower both ends by the same dollar amount.

No. With a Section 8 voucher, you pay your base payment, the least you pay each month. It is usually about 30 percent of your income after the housing office's deductions, such as a set amount for each child and some childcare and medical costs. If the rent plus utilities is above the voucher limit for your area, officially the payment standard, you also pay the difference. To work out your numbers, use the Section 8 calculator.

Open rental listings from official websites whose rents start at or under the rent you can afford. A listing with several apartment sizes can have bigger ones that cost more, so check the rent for the size you need. Some are waitlists: you sign up now, and the office offers you an apartment later, when one comes free. A listing that posts no rent is left out, because we can't tell if it fits. Each one links to the official page where you apply.