Renting & moving

Rent Affordability Calculator

A rent percentage alone cannot see your commute, debt, Council Tax or savings goals. This calculator builds the rent limit from the rest of your real monthly budget, then checks how much cash remains after moving.

Free calculatorInputs saved only in this browser

Your post-move month

Build the monthly budget before rent.

£per month
£per month
Only include income you reasonably expect to continue.
£per month
Exclude rent, utilities, Council Tax, transport and debt because they have separate fields.
£per month
£per month
Use a realistic estimate for the property, not your current household if they differ.
£per month
£per month
£per month
Keep saving in the model rather than treating it as whatever is left.

Candidate home & moving cash

Check the rent you are considering and the cash left after moving.

£
£
Deposit, rent due before move-in, removals, furniture and setup costs.
£per month
Enter the actual rent for the home you are considering.

Your estimate

Use the result as a planning guide and change inputs to test the assumptions that matter most.

Use the result as a planning guide and change inputs to test the assumptions that matter most.

How this calculator works

The calculator subtracts non-rent essentials, debt payments, utilities, Council Tax, transport and your chosen savings target from monthly income. It then applies three transparent planning bands to the residual headroom: 60%, 75% and 90% for cautious, balanced and stretch rent.

It also checks the candidate rent you enter and estimates how many months of essential post-move spending your remaining savings could cover after upfront costs.

How to use it

  1. Enter dependable monthly take-home income.
  2. Add non-rent essentials, debt, utilities, Council Tax and transport.
  3. Keep a realistic monthly savings target in the budget.
  4. Add current savings, upfront move costs and the rent you are considering.
  5. Stress-test higher utilities or lower income before signing.

Assumptions and limitations

The planning bands are Budget Wizard scenarios, not landlord or letting-agent affordability rules. Housing costs and legal rules vary across the UK. Upfront moving costs must be estimated by you. The emergency-coverage figure assumes the candidate rent and entered non-rent essentials continue unchanged.

Understand the decision

Helpful guides for this calculator

Use the calculator for the numbers, then use these guides for the practical choices, trade-offs and next steps behind the result.

All articles
Start here

¿Qué alquiler puedes permitirte de verdad sin llegar ahogado a fin de mes?

Read this guide first for the practical decision framework behind the calculator.

4 min read · Read guide → Related guide

Moving Out for the First Time: The Upfront Costs People Forget to Budget For

Read this guide for context, assumptions and trade-offs behind the result.

4 min read · Read guide →
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