How to read rent / take-home
Every full-model page here reports HUD rent ÷ monthly take-home. That is a filter, not a verdict. This page is how we expect you to argue with it.
What 30% actually is
Housing counselors and lenders have used “about 30% of income on housing” for decades. It is a planning shorthand. It is not a law, and it is not adjusted for a two-hour commute, a roommate, student loans, or a partner who already pays the mortgage.
On this site, income means modeled take-home, not gross. That is stricter than the cocktail-party version of the rule. A 32% ratio on net can still be a 22% ratio on gross — which is why we refuse to show only the headline salary.
When a “good” ratio is still a bad move
- HUD is a metro average. Downtown Miami and a far Houston suburb can both sit in one FMR area. If you will not live in the average ZIP, override rent.
- Insurance and fees sit on top. Wind, flood, HOA, and parking often do not appear in FMR. Add them to the listing field or treat the ratio as optimistic.
- The job is the rent. A cheap city with no role in your field is not a bargain. Run Compare against the city where the work actually is.
- Start-date slip. A fine ratio with two months of unpaid gap is a cash problem. Use Before you accept for that check.
What to type into the estimator
- Gross as written in the offer, not the “on-target” number with a bonus you have never received.
- Your real 401(k) deferral, or zero if you will not defer in year one.
- Filing status you will actually use, not the one that makes the page look nicer.
- A listing quote for the bedroom count you will rent — then glance at HUD only as a sanity check.
Lock those assumptions in a Decision Brief before you text a screenshot. Two people arguing about “$120k in Austin” are usually arguing about different rents.