This calculator applies the 30%-of-income rule to your income and compares the result to Los Angeles’s median 1-bedroom rent of about $2,100/month. Enter what you earn and instantly see the maximum rent you can comfortably afford and where it lands across LA neighborhood tiers.
How it works
The 30% rule caps rent at 30% of gross (pre-tax) income:
Max affordable rent = Gross monthly income x target ratio
With the default 30% ratio, a $6,000/month income supports up to $1,800/month in rent. The tool also reports your rent-to-income ratio if you enter a specific target rent, and flags whether it exceeds the recommended threshold.
LA neighborhood rent tiers
| Tier | Typical 1-BR rent | Example areas |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | $2,600+ | Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Venice |
| Median | ~$2,100 | Mid-City, Koreatown, Glendale |
| Value | ~$1,700 | San Fernando Valley, South LA |
To afford the median ~$2,100 under the 30% rule you need roughly $7,000/month gross ($84,000/year). Many LA landlords additionally require income of 2.5x–3x the monthly rent, which lines up with the 30% guideline.
Notes
The 30% rule is a guideline, not a hard limit — some renters comfortably spend more, others less, depending on debt, savings goals, and household size. Using gross income is standard, but budgeting against take-home pay is more conservative. All figures are planning estimates.