Determining Housing Expense

The cost of housing includes rent plus electricity and is estimated using the Fair Market Rent determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The monthly estimate includes the cost of rent plus the cost of electricity only. It does not include utilities such as water, trash and heat if not included in the electric bill, nor does it include telephones, cable or satellite TV, and Internet.

This tool assumes a one-bedroom unit for household size of two or fewer, two-bedroom unit for household size of four or fewer, and three-bedroom unit for household size of five or more.