Your monthly budget Your scenario
How it works
Built on our data. Starts from PayByTrade's own city data: BLS median pay for your trade, HUD Fair Market Rent for the metro and BEA local price levels, the same figures behind the real-pay numbers on each city page.
Pick a trade and city. Pay starts at the BLS median for that trade there and rent at HUD's Fair Market Rent for the metro. Change anything to match your life.
Your other costs start at typical U.S. amounts. With the box checked we scale them by the metro's price level (BEA), so the same groceries cost more in San Jose than in Tulsa.
We show monthly take-home, each cost, what's left and the share of take-home going to rent. Housing above 30% of gross pay is the common affordability line.
Worked example
A plumber in Denver earns a $63,900 median in PayByTrade's data. Local prices run +6% vs. the U.S. and HUD's 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,831.
- Take-home at 78%: $63,900 × 0.78 ÷ 12 = $4,154 a month
- Rent: $1,831 (34% of gross pay)
- Utilities, car, food and everything else: $2,050 × 1.06 for Denver prices = $2,169
- Left each month: $154
Switch to a 2-bedroom ($2,169) or another city to see how far the same trade's pay goes.
Tips & gotchas
- 78% take-home is a rough single-filer figure; your real share depends on state taxes, family and benefits.
- HUD Fair Market Rent is a typical rent for a modest unit, not the cheapest or newest.
- If you're paying off a truck or tools, add it under car or everything else.
Private by design. Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us or stored.
FAQ
Where does the rent come from?
HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, combined from counties to the metro by population.
Is 30% of pay on rent really the line?
It's the long-standing federal measure of being 'cost burdened'. Many people pay more; it just leaves less room for everything else.
Why are my other costs higher or lower than I entered?
With local-price adjustment on, non-rent costs are multiplied by the metro's price level (U.S. = 100). Untick the box to use your numbers as typed.