About Can I Afford This?
Simple tools for everyday UK money decisions.
What we do
Can I Afford This? helps people in the UK answer practical questions: Is my rent too high compared to my pay? How much do I have left after rent and bills? Should I buy this now or wait? Our calculators use plain rules of thumb and instant maths — no sign-up and no jargon.
Who it is for
Whether you are renting your first flat, sharing a house, managing a household budget, or deciding on a one-off purchase, these tools give you a quick sanity check. They are designed mobile-first so you can check numbers on the go.
Not financial advice
We are not authorised financial advisers. Results are estimates based on what you type. Always do your own research and speak to a qualified professional for major decisions like mortgages, debt, or investments.
Our story
Can I Afford This? was built because personal finance questions are often simple but surprisingly hard to answer quickly. We wanted a place where you could type in your numbers and get an instant, honest answer — no sign-up, no upsell, no jargon.
Privacy first
All calculations run entirely in your browser. We do not send your income, rent, or any financial figures to a server. The only data we store is a temporary "money left" figure in your browser's session storage, used solely to link the budget and purchase calculators on the same device. You can clear this at any time by closing your browser tab.
How the rules of thumb work
Our calculators use widely referenced UK financial guidelines — the 30% rent rule, the 15–20% car cost rule, and similar benchmarks used by money advisers, letting agents, and budgeting guides. These are starting points, not hard limits. Your situation — job security, savings, dependants, local cost of living — always matters more than any single ratio.
Built for the UK
All figures are in pounds sterling. Income thresholds and affordability benchmarks reflect UK take-home pay norms, not US or EU equivalents. We reference UK cities, UK average rents, and UK-relevant financial contexts throughout.