How much rent can I afford making $17 an hour?
Up to $884 a month. Full time, $17 an hour is $35,360 a year, and the 30% rule keeps rent at that line.1
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.
Where a 1-bedroom fits on $17 an hour
The 9 priciest metros that still fit.2
| Metro | 1-bedroom |
|---|---|
| Texarkana, TX/AR | $884 |
| Southwest Michigan, MI | $835 |
| Topeka, KS | $819 |
| Toledo, OH | $814 |
| McAllen, TX | $760 |
| Muncie, IN | $748 |
| Terre Haute, IN | $740 |
| Paducah, KY | $739 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | $738 |
Run your own numbers
$17 an hour: questions people ask
How much rent can I afford making $17 an hour?
Full time, $17 an hour is $35,360 a year before tax. At 30% of that, rent should stay at or under $884 a month.
Can I afford a 1-bedroom on $17 an hour?
In 9 of the 118 metros we track, the median 1-bedroom rent is at or under $884. The US median 1-bedroom is $1,362 (Census ACS, 2025).
What hourly wage do I need for the US median 2-bedroom?
About $30.06 an hour keeps the US median 2-bedroom rent of $1,563 at 30% of full-time pay.
Other wages
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Notes on the numbers
- 1The 30% rule: rent at or under 30% of gross income, HUD's long-standing cost burden line. Full time is 40 hours a week for 52 weeks (2,080 hours). Our arithmetic.
- 2Rent: Census ACS 2025 1-year, table B25031, median gross rent by number of bedrooms (rent plus utilities the renter pays), 2025. Covers all renters, so new leases often cost more. Census table