• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Sharing Housing

Improve your life and finances — and make new friends

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Resources
    • Learn How
    • Matching Programs
    • Common Worries
  • Books
    • Our Guidebook
    • Interviewing Guide
    • Other Books About Shared Housing
  • Online Lessons
    • 5 Key Benefits of Shared Housing
    • Sharing Housing 101
  • My Account (Login)
  • Shop
    • Cart
Calculating Housing Costs

Calculating Housing Costs

posted on August 11, 2009

One of the benefits of shared housing is that it can save you money. The general rule of thumb for a reasonable amount to spend on housing is now 30% of gross income. It used to be 27%. The three percent increase probably represents a creep upward as everyone copes with higher housing costs.  So what is 30% actually?

Here’s a quick look.

Income $25,000, housing  $625 a month.

Income $35,000, housing  $855 a month.

Income  $45,000, housing  $1125 a month.

Income  $55,000, housing $1375 a month.

Income  $65,000, housing  $1625 a month.

Income $75,000, housing  $1875 a month.

Of course there are other factors that go into the cost of living.  Transportation is a huge one. The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index is an  interactive site that shows how the costs of housing and transportation together change the affordability of an area. Living in a cheaper area but spending more time driving may not be cost effective. If your housing plus transportation costs are more than 45% of your income, your costs are unsustainable.  The site offers analysis of most major US metropolitan areas.

Can you afford living alone? Maybe.. how much more cash would you have if you shared your housing? What could you do with that extra cash?

Filed Under: Should I Share Housing? Tagged With: Affordability, assessment, bills, costs, sharing housing, tools

About Annamarie

Annamarie advocates for people to share housing for the benefits of cost, company, help and sustainability. Author of Sharing Housing, A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates, and founder of Sharing Housing, Inc. She lives in Vermont with one two-legged and two four-legged home-mates.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer CTA

Our Guidebook
Our Guidebook
Online Lessons
Online Lessons
Interviewing Guide
Interviewing Guide
Worksheets
Worksheets
  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • My Account

© 2022 Sharing Housing · This is Clear.Design