How much rent can I afford making $22 an hour?
Up to $1,144 a month. Full time, $22 an hour is $45,760 a year, and the 30% rule keeps rent at that line.1
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.
Where a 2-bedroom fits on $22 an hour
The 12 priciest metros that still fit.2
| Metro | 2-bedroom |
|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $1,143 |
| Akron, OH | $1,141 |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $1,117 |
| El Paso, TX | $1,100 |
| Toledo, OH | $1,094 |
| Evansville, IN | $1,087 |
| Jackson, MI | $1,063 |
| Southwest Michigan, MI | $1,063 |
| Wichita, KS | $1,054 |
| Morgantown, WV | $1,048 |
| McAllen, TX | $1,030 |
| Texarkana, TX/AR | $1,006 |
Where a 1-bedroom fits on $22 an hour
The 12 priciest metros that still fit.2
| Metro | 1-bedroom |
|---|---|
| Greenville, SC | $1,139 |
| Omaha, NE | $1,137 |
| Columbia, SC | $1,136 |
| Greensboro, NC | $1,117 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $1,110 |
| Providence, RI | $1,109 |
| Knoxville, TN | $1,106 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $1,102 |
| Huntsville, AL | $1,101 |
| Tucson, AZ | $1,090 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $1,086 |
| Des Moines, IA | $1,077 |
Run your own numbers
$22 an hour: questions people ask
How much rent can I afford making $22 an hour?
Full time, $22 an hour is $45,760 a year before tax. At 30% of that, rent should stay at or under $1,144 a month.
Can I afford a 1-bedroom on $22 an hour?
In 48 of the 118 metros we track, the median 1-bedroom rent is at or under $1,144. 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