Creating the right rent budget involves factoring in everything from your financial means to your personal values. Unfortunately, figuring out exactly how much rent you can afford can be a daunting task—especially if:
It’s your first time renting a place. Your financial situation recently changed. You’re just easily overwhelmed by money decisions in general.
To break down all these considerations, we spoke with behavioral finance expert Shari Greco Reiches and NerdWallet’s home expert Holden Lewis for the best ways to create a personalized rent budget.
50/30/20 Rule
The 50/30/20 rule dedicates 50 percent of your budget to necessities (like rent, groceries, utilities, medical bills, etc.), 30 percent to wants (like “just because” shopping or dining out experiences), and 20 percent to savings and extra debt payments.
30 Percent Rule
The 30 percent rule, on the other hand, is based on the idea that you should spend no more than 30 percent of your income on rent—but it leaves quite a few people and considerations out of the equation.
Ideal Income-Based Budget
Lewis explains that the 30 percent rule is based on a middle-class viewpoint and that “not everyone can spend less than 30 percent of their income on rent if they have a low income.” Spending less than 30 percent on rent can also be difficult in certain cities where there’s a much higher cost of living. The 50/30/20 rule, in comparison, provides a little extra room and more options for budget customization. “When you think about that 50 percent bucket, it just gives you a little bit more flexibility to pay say 35 percent or 40 percent of your income for rent if that’s what you have to do,” Lewis says. If you need help crunching the numbers, download a budget app to get started. So, if a client highly values comfortable or luxurious living situations, and they find a dream rental that’s going to push them over that 50 percent bracket (with utilities, debt payments, and other needs factored in), she won’t tell them they can’t make that decision. Instead, she might advise them to reduce their wants (the 30 percent bracket). “I don’t like people reducing the savings, but if they have to [in order to afford a higher-priced rental], they can temporarily,” she adds. In another scenario, someone may place a high value on travel and experiences (or other things like a monthly massage for self-care). These people may have to opt for a lower-cost rental to balance the scale. The most important part, though, is to adjust your budget to accommodate your expenses—don’t simply pay outside your means and hope for the best. “The numbers have to add up to a hundred,” Reiches says. “When they don’t, that’s when debt starts to occur.”
Other Hidden Costs
Upfront costs like the security deposit. While some states have a limit of a one-month rent deposit, landlords in some states can charge three months of rent or more.Moving expenses. In addition to putting down the deposit and first month of rent off the bat, you’ll also need to factor in how much money it’ll cost you to move. For example, do you need to pay for movers, rent a moving van, or buy a bunch of items for your new place
While these aren’t repeating monthly costs, they should be factored into your overall rent budget, as they can eat away at your savings, which in turn will make it harder to manage your personal finances. “Sometimes people get excited because they get two months rent free [at the beginning], but then all of a sudden the year ends and their rent skyrockets up another hundred or $200 or something like that,” Reiches says. “Make sure that if you did get a discount on your rent, that you can afford what the rent would be in the future,” she adds, explaining how expensive it can be to keep moving year after year.
Consider Lease Terms
Reiches also notes how important it is to “read the fine print” when signing a lease and look into the opt-out clause. If you aren’t sure how long you’ll be able to stay in a place, ask about the penalty of leaving early and try to negotiate a clause so that you won’t end up paying super high fees. Another part of thinking about the future involves considering the savings you’ll have later on. If you chip into your savings to splurge on a dream apartment, it may make you happy now, but may not set you up for as comfortable of a lifestyle down the line. Lastly, consider situations like splitting rent with potential roommates (and how long they plan to stay) when thinking about your future costs. For example, would you be able to afford rent if they left, and it took you three months to find a new one? Also, not everyone is going to be completely transparent about how they’re paying their rent. “A lot of people get financial support from their parents, especially young people,” Lewis says. “So if you’re like me and you had to pay your own way, you might wonder what your friends are doing right and what you’re doing wrong, and you might not be doing anything wrong. Your friends might just be getting a few hundred bucks every month to subsidize their rent and give them some more financial breathing room.” While there’s nothing wrong with either situation, it proves the importance of creating an individualized rent budget based on your own life, not anyone else’s.
