Budget calculator

Budget Calculator

Create an editable monthly budget from city rent, utilities, groceries, household size, income, everyday bills, savings, and basic investing.

Cities657

Expense lines17

Income matchesLive

InvestingIncluded

Budget inputs

Build Your Monthly Plan

City

Annual household incomeDefaults to the selected city’s LifeAtlas income benchmark and stays editable.People in household

Editable expenses

Monthly Budget Lines

Edit any line item. The city match list recalculates against your income and household size.

Expense	Monthly amount	What it covers
Housing or rent	Housing or rent monthly amount	Starts with the city median rent row.
Utilities	Utilities monthly amount	Starts with the city utilities estimate.
Groceries	Groceries monthly amount	Uses household size and the city grocery index.
Estimated taxes and payroll	Estimated taxes and payroll monthly amount	Starter line for federal, state, payroll, and benefit withholding.
Transportation	Transportation monthly amount	Fuel, transit, maintenance, rides, or parking.
Health and medical	Health and medical monthly amount	Premiums, copays, prescriptions, and routine care.
Phone	Phone monthly amount	Mobile service for household members.
Internet	Internet monthly amount	Home broadband or fixed wireless service.
Insurance	Insurance monthly amount	Auto, renters, homeowners, or other policies.
Debt payments	Debt payments monthly amount	Student loans, credit cards, personal loans, or other debt.
Childcare or dependents	Childcare or dependents monthly amount	Childcare, eldercare, school, or dependent support.
Subscriptions	Subscriptions monthly amount	Streaming, software, memberships, and recurring apps.
Emergency savings	Emergency savings monthly amount	Starter line for cash reserves.
Basic investing	Basic investing monthly amount	Starter line for retirement or brokerage contributions.
Personal and clothing	Personal and clothing monthly amount	Clothing, haircuts, household items, and personal care.
Entertainment	Entertainment monthly amount	Restaurants, hobbies, events, and fun money.
Miscellaneous	Miscellaneous monthly amount	A buffer for expenses that do not fit neatly elsewhere.
Total monthly expenses	$6,607	$1,633 remains after these budget lines.

Income-fit cities

Best Matches For This Budget

Matches swap in each city’s housing, utilities, and grocery defaults while keeping your other edited expenses.

City	Estimated leftover	Salary benchmark	Move score	Fit
Washington, D.C., DCCurrent city	+$1,633	$98,880	35/100	Income fits
Bowie, MD	+$1,666	$97,560	35/100	Income fits
Boulder, CO	+$1,553	$97,960	35/100	Income fits
South Portland, ME	+$1,551	$97,160	35/100	Income fits
Chicago, IL	+$1,737	$94,000	38/100	Income fits
Fairfax, VA	+$1,732	$94,920	35/100	Income fits
Rockville, MD	+$1,733	$94,880	35/100	Income fits
Mount Pleasant, SC	+$1,733	$94,880	35/100	Income fits

How to use it

Start With City Costs, Then Make It Yours

Choose a city, enter household income and household size, then edit any monthly line item. Housing, utilities, and groceries start from city-level LifeAtlas metrics where available, while the rest of the budget uses practical default amounts.

Best-match cities compare your same income and edited non-city expenses against each city’s rent, utilities, and grocery defaults.