What is the 30% rule for rent?

A common guideline says housing should take no more than 30% of your gross income. At a $100,000 salary that is about $2,500 a month. San Francisco's median 1-bedroom near $3,000 exceeds this for many earners, which is why so many renters share units.

Should I use gross or net income?

The traditional 30% rule uses gross (pre-tax) income, and most landlords screen on gross. This tool defaults to gross. If you prefer to budget on take-home pay, enter your net income instead and read the result as a stricter, more conservative limit.

How much income do I need for a $3,000 rental?

At the 30% rule, monthly rent times 12 divided by 0.30 gives the required gross income. A $3,000 rent needs about $120,000 a year. Many San Francisco landlords go further and require income of 3 times the monthly rent, or roughly $108,000.

Why does San Francisco feel unaffordable on the 30% rule?

Median San Francisco rent is far above the national average, so the income needed to keep rent at 30% is high. Renters often stretch the ratio, take roommates, or accept smaller units, which is reflected in the city's high share of rent-burdened households.

What counts as rent-burdened?

Households spending more than 30% of income on rent are considered rent-burdened, and above 50% severely rent-burdened. This tool flags when a listing pushes you past the 30% line so you can see the burden before signing a lease.

San Francisco Rent Affordability Calculator

San Francisco rents are among the highest in the US, so checking affordability before you tour an apartment saves time and stress. This calculator applies the classic 30%-of-income rule against the city’s median 1-bedroom rent near $3,000 to tell you what you can afford and what a given rent demands.

How it works

The 30% rule sets a ceiling on rent as a share of gross income, and inverts to the income a rent requires:

monthly income  = annual income / 12   (or entered directly)
max rent         = monthly income × ratio          (ratio default 0.30)
income needed    = monthly rent × 12 / ratio
rent burden      = monthly rent / monthly income

A rent burden above 0.30 means you are rent-burdened; above 0.50 means severely rent-burdened, the threshold housing agencies use to flag financial stress.

Example and tips

On a $120,000 salary, the 30% rule caps rent at about $3,000 a month — exactly San Francisco’s median 1-bedroom — so a typical earner is right at the edge. A $3,500 listing pushes the burden to 35%, flagging it as unaffordable by the rule. Many landlords additionally require gross income of three times the rent, so check both gates before applying, and consider a roommate to halve the effective rent.