How Much Rent Can I Afford on a $30K Salary?
On a $30,000 salary, you can afford about $750 a month in rent. That budget covers the average one-bedroom in 16 of 407 US cities (4%) and a two-bedroom in 0 (0%).
Gross income: $30,000/yr ($2,500/mo). Landlords using the 40× rule would approve rent up to $750/mo — the same as the 30% rule. A typical US one-bedroom ($1,085/mo) takes $20.87/hr.
Largest cities where $30K covers a 1-bedroom
Ranked by metro size. "Left over" is what remains of your $750 budget.
| City | 1BR rent | 2BR rent | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon, PA | $721 | $908 | +$29 |
| Fort Smith, AR | $694 | $910 | +$56 |
| Bloomington, IL | $682 | $853 | +$68 |
| Dayton, OH | $680 | $872 | +$70 |
| Florence, AL | $743 | $974 | +$7 |
| Dothan, AL | $722 | $896 | +$28 |
| Jefferson City, MO | $681 | $891 | +$69 |
| Lawton, OK | $750 | $962 | +$0 |
| Staunton, VA | $597 | $753 | +$153 |
| Mansfield, OH | $738 | $924 | +$12 |
| Anniston, AL | $730 | $941 | +$20 |
| Cumberland, MD | $747 | $933 | +$3 |
| Pine Bluff, AR | $684 | $878 | +$66 |
| Enid, OK | $747 | $980 | +$3 |
| Youngstown, OH | $702 | $884 | +$48 |
Big cities out of reach on $30K
The full-time hourly wage you would need to keep a 1-bedroom at 30% of income.
| City | 1BR rent | Wage needed |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $2,511 | $48.29/hr |
| Santa Ana, CA | $2,454 | $47.19/hr |
| Chicago, IL | $1,560 | $30.00/hr |
| Dallas, TX | $1,606 | $30.88/hr |
| Houston, TX | $1,279 | $24.60/hr |
| Washington, DC | $2,056 | $39.54/hr |
| Atlanta, GA | $1,653 | $31.79/hr |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | $1,929 | $37.10/hr |
| Phoenix, AZ | $1,679 | $32.29/hr |
| Boston, MA | $2,394 | $46.04/hr |
Where $30K goes furthest, by state
Share of each state's cities where the average 1-bedroom fits a $750 budget.
| State | 1BR affordable | Cheapest city (1BR) |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 2 of 4 (50%) | Enid · $747 |
| Arkansas | 2 of 6 (33%) | Pine Bluff · $684 |
| Ohio | 3 of 10 (30%) | Dayton · $680 |
| Alabama | 3 of 12 (25%) | Dothan · $722 |
| Missouri | 1 of 4 (25%) | Jefferson City · $681 |
| Maryland | 1 of 5 (20%) | Cumberland · $747 |
| Virginia | 1 of 8 (13%) | Staunton · $597 |
| Illinois | 1 of 9 (11%) | Bloomington · $682 |
| Alaska | 1 of 16 (6%) | Kusilvak Census · $730 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 of 17 (6%) | Sharon · $721 |
| Arizona | 0 of 8 (0%) | Prescott · $894 |
| California | 0 of 29 (0%) | El Centro · $1,056 |
Rent Affordability Calculator
Enter your pay to see the most rent you can comfortably take on.
30% is the standard rule; above it HUD counts you as cost-burdened.
- ❌ Typical US 1-bedroom ($1,085/mo)
- ❌ Typical US 2-bedroom ($1,321/mo)
Frequently asked questions
How Much Rent Can I Afford on a $30K Salary?
On a $30,000 salary you can afford about $750 a month in rent using the 30% rule. A tighter 25% budget is $625; stretching to 40% allows $1,000.
Is $30,000 a year enough to rent an apartment?
In 16 of 407 US cities (4%) the average one-bedroom rent fits within $750/mo, and a two-bedroom fits in 0 (0%). The largest cities where a 1BR fits: Sharon, PA; Fort Smith, AR; Bloomington, IL.
How much do I need to make to afford a typical one-bedroom?
The median one-bedroom rent across US cities is $1,085/mo. Keeping that at 30% of income takes $43,400 a year, or $20.87 an hour full-time.
What is the 40x rent rule?
Many landlords require a yearly income of at least 40 times the monthly rent. On $30,000 that caps rent at $750/mo — the same limit as the 30% rule.
Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent, including utilities) for each city's metro area. Income is gross pay before taxes; full-time = 2,080 hours a year. See our methodology.