Free tool
Family budget
Adds up what each person in your home earns, subtracts expenses and savings, and tells you what is left and how much housing can take.
Free, no sign-up. What you type stays on your phone.
Type your numbers and the result changes right away. Everything is calculated here, in your browser.
Your household this month
Let's do the math
Left each month
Enter what at least one person takes home to see the result.
What helps
- Pay savings first: set the goal aside the day the money arrives, before flexible spending.
- Add up the bills that come every few months (car insurance, school) and divide by twelve.
- If income changes, plan on a low month and save the extra from good months.
- A HUD-approved housing counselor can go over the budget with you, often for free.
This is a planning tool with your numbers, not a credit evaluation or an approval. The split reference is only a guide.
Show contents
How is it calculated?
The same formulas lenders use, with the rules each program publishes. Nothing is hidden.
The formula
For housing = household take-home income − fixed expenses − savings. Common reference: 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings.
Example with the numbers for the United States
- Typical household income
- $6,728
- Needs
- $3,364 (50%)
- Wants
- $2,018 (30%)
- Example cash
- $1,346 (20%)
- Rent that fits (30%)
- $2,018
Computed from the page's data when it was built; in the tool you replace every number with your own.
What moves the result?
Six things that change the number more than anything else.
-
Income
Lenders compare the payment with your pre-tax income; programs, with the household's.
-
Your household
How many people live with you changes the income limits and the size you need.
-
Housing
Rent or the mortgage goes into the budget first. The tool compares it with your income.
-
Debts
Car, cards and student loans take room away from housing.
-
Savings
Making it one more line in the budget shows you how much you can set aside each month.
-
What is left
What is left at the end of the month is your margin for savings or for the unexpected.
The official numbers behind the tool
Official data the tool uses, so you can compare.
Incomes in the most populous counties of the United States
| Place | Typical household income | Income per month | Housing at 28% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County (CA) | $90,112 | $7,509 | $2,103 |
| Cook County (IL) | $83,498 | $6,958 | $1,948 |
| Harris County (TX) | $74,983 | $6,249 | $1,750 |
| Maricopa County (AZ) | $89,300 | $7,442 | $2,084 |
| San Diego County (CA) | $106,268 | $8,856 | $2,480 |
| Orange County (CA) | $116,289 | $9,691 | $2,713 |
| Miami-Dade County (FL) | $71,753 | $5,979 | $1,674 |
| Kings County (NY) | $80,263 | $6,689 | $1,873 |
- Los Angeles County (CA) $90,112$7,509
- Cook County (IL) $83,498$6,958
- Harris County (TX) $74,983$6,249
- Maricopa County (AZ) $89,300$7,442
- San Diego County (CA) $106,268$8,856
- Orange County (CA) $116,289$9,691
- Miami-Dade County (FL) $71,753$5,979
- Kings County (NY) $80,263$6,689
Source: American Community Survey (Average 2020–2024)
Rents in the most populous counties of the United States
| Place | Typical rent | 2-bed Fair Market Rent | Rent ÷ income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County (CA) | $1,954 | $2,964 | 26% |
| Cook County (IL) | $1,435 | $2,011 | 21% |
| Harris County (TX) | $1,401 | $1,497 | 22% |
| Maricopa County (AZ) | $1,708 | $1,734 | 23% |
| San Diego County (CA) | $2,246 | $2,823 | 25% |
| Orange County (CA) | $2,434 | $3,057 | 25% |
| Miami-Dade County (FL) | $1,829 | $2,564 | 31% |
| Kings County (NY) | $1,833 | $2,971 | 27% |
- Los Angeles County (CA) $1,954$2,964
- Cook County (IL) $1,435$2,011
- Harris County (TX) $1,401$1,497
- Maricopa County (AZ) $1,708$1,734
- San Diego County (CA) $2,246$2,823
- Orange County (CA) $2,434$3,057
- Miami-Dade County (FL) $1,829$2,564
- Kings County (NY) $1,833$2,971
Source: American Community Survey (Average 2020–2024) · Fair Market Rents (Fiscal year 2027)
— means the source publishes no value.
Want your county's numbers?
Type your county or ZIP code: the tool loads its numbers and keeps them in your browser for the other tools.
Frequently asked questions
Do I use income before or after taxes?
Here, after taxes: what actually reaches the household. Lenders' rules and the guideline of paying under 30% of income on rent use income before taxes, which is higher; that is why your percentage here comes out larger.
Do I count money I send to family?
Yes. It is part of your monthly expenses, and seeing it next to everything else helps you decide how much housing can take.
What is the needs, flexible spending and savings reference?
A common way to divide take-home pay: 50% for necessities, 30% for flexible spending and 20% for savings. It is not an official rule; it helps you see whether one expense is crowding out the rest.
Do you keep my numbers?
No. Everything stays in your browser and you can clear it with the start-over button. We never ask for names or personal data.
How we calculate and sources
- Household income: what each person takes home after taxes, turned into a month by how often they are paid (weekly is 52 paychecks a year, every two weeks 26, twice a month 24).
- Expenses and savings: we add up each line for the month, including money you send to family, and the savings goal. What is left is income minus all of that.
- Housing and the split: the most housing can take is what is left after the other expenses and savings. We also compare your split between needs, flexible spending and savings with a common reference of 50%, 30% and 20%.
What comes next?
Go on to the tool that answers your next question, or read a guide at your own pace.
Want someone to go over it with you? A HUD-approved counselor does it for free or at low cost. Find a counselor
Next step
Mortgage calculator
Your monthly payment with taxes and insurance.
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Guides to read next
- Credit from zero: how to start your history in the U.S. What credit reports and scores are, how to get them for free, and how to start a history from nothing with a secured card or a credit-builder loan.
- Buying a home with a Section 8 voucher: the homeownership option How to use your Section 8 voucher to buy a home: who qualifies, the required counseling, the inspections, what the housing authority pays and for how long.
- LIHEAP: help paying for power, gas and heat What LIHEAP is, who qualifies, how to apply in your state, crisis help when a shutoff is coming and free weatherization (WAP) to lower your bills.
- USDA farm labor housing and mutual self-help homes How USDA farm labor housing (Sections 514 and 516) and mutual self-help housing (Section 523), where families build their homes together, work.