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Salary to Rent Calculator UK
Enter your monthly take-home pay to see how much rent you can afford — with safe, stretch, and maximum budgets based on the UK 30% affordability standard.
Enter your monthly take-home pay
The amount that lands in your bank account each month, after tax
After tax — check your payslip or calculate it here ↗
Your rent budget will appear here
Enter your salary above to see how much rent you can afford
Salary to rent table — UK 2026
Maximum affordable monthly rent at each take-home level, based on 28% (safe), 35% (stretch), and 40% (maximum) of monthly take-home pay.
| Take-home /mo | Safe /mo | Max /mo |
|---|---|---|
| £1,500 | £420 | £600 |
| £1,750 | £490 | £700 |
| £2,000 | £560 | £800 |
| £2,500 | £700 | £1,000 |
| £3,000 | £840 | £1,200 |
| £3,500 | £980 | £1,400 |
| £4,000 | £1,120 | £1,600 |
| £5,000 | £1,400 | £2,000 |
| £6,000 | £1,680 | £2,400 |
Based on monthly take-home pay. Check your payslip or bank statement for your exact amount.
How much rent can I afford on my salary in the UK?
The standard UK guideline is to spend no more than 30% of your take-home pay on rent. In high-cost cities like London, many renters exceed this — making it vital to understand your own budget before committing to a tenancy.
Our calculator shows three thresholds: a safe budget (28% of take-home), a stretch budget (35%), and a maximum (40%). We recommend staying within the safe band to maintain financial resilience.
Remember that rent is just one housing cost. Bills, council tax, broadband, and contents insurance can add £250–£500 per month on top. Factor these into your total housing budget, not just the rent figure alone.
Why use take-home pay?
Annual salary figures don't account for income tax or National Insurance, which can reduce your pay by 20–30%. On a £35,000 salary, your take-home is roughly £2,300/month — not the gross £2,917. Using take-home pay gives you a realistic budget based on money you actually have available, not money that goes to HMRC first.
Frequently asked questions
How much rent can I afford on a £2,000/month take-home?
On a £2,000/month take-home, a safe rent budget (28%) is around £560/month. A stretch budget (35%) is £700/month, and the maximum advisable (40%) is £800/month. In many UK cities outside London — Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow — £560–£700/month can find you a decent room or studio. A 1-bed would typically require a higher take-home.
How much rent can I afford on a £2,500/month take-home?
On a £2,500/month take-home, a safe rent budget is approximately £700/month, a stretch budget is £875/month, and the maximum is £1,000/month. In many UK cities outside London — Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow — this puts a 1-bedroom flat comfortably within the safe budget range.
How much rent can I afford on a £3,500/month take-home?
On a £3,500/month take-home, a safe budget is around £980/month, stretch is £1,225/month, and the maximum is £1,400/month. This is broadly sufficient for a 1-bedroom property in most UK cities, including Bristol, Edinburgh, and parts of Greater London.
What take-home pay do I need to afford London rent?
The average 1-bedroom rent in London is approximately £1,890/month in 2026. To afford this within the 30% guideline, you would need a monthly take-home of around £6,300. At the more lenient 40% threshold, you would still need around £4,725/month take-home. Many Londoners on typical take-home pay are significantly over the recommended threshold — most flatshare, commute from cheaper areas, or spend well above the 30% guideline.
Why does the calculator use take-home pay instead of annual salary?
Annual salary figures do not account for income tax or National Insurance, which can reduce your actual pay by 20–30%. Using gross salary gives a misleading picture of what you can genuinely afford. Our calculator uses your monthly take-home (net) pay — the amount that actually lands in your bank account — because that is the money you have available to cover rent, bills, and living costs.
What costs should I add on top of rent?
Rent is typically the largest but not the only housing cost. Budget an additional £250–£500/month for: council tax (£100–£250/month depending on band and location), gas and electricity (£80–£150/month), water (£30–£50/month), broadband (£25–£40/month), and contents insurance (£15–£25/month). In total, your actual monthly housing outlay could be 40–60% higher than the rent figure alone.