Tool

Your real housing budget

The standard affordability rule — spend no more than 30% of your gross income on rent — ignores the second-biggest cost of where you live: transportation. A car in LA costs $800–950/month. That number changes everything. Enter your income and situation to see what you can actually afford.

Calculator

Your real housing budget

Enter your income and situation to see what rent you can actually afford — after transportation.

Annual income (gross)$74,000

$30k$150k

Do you have — or need — a car?

Estimated: $475/mo (midpoint — assumes occasional car-share or partial ownership)

How far is your commute?

Your numbers

HUD affordable rent ceiling (30% of gross)$1,850

Est. transportation cost (partial ownership + commute)− $525

Real housing budget$1,325/mo

Whether you need a car depends almost entirely on which neighborhood you're in. Use the quiz below to find neighborhoods where your commute and income work without one — that's where this budget has the most room.

How this works:The calculator applies the HUD 30% gross-income threshold to get your affordable rent ceiling, then subtracts estimated monthly transportation costs based on your car status and commute length. The result is your real housing budget — what you have left for rent after transportation is covered. Car costs use AAA's LA metro estimate; transit assumes a Metro monthly pass.

Know your budget. Now find the right neighborhood.

The quiz matches you to LA neighborhoods that fit your commute, lifestyle, and real rent budget — not the listing-site number.

Find My Neighborhoods

Free · No account · 3 minutes