---
title: "Budget Calculator — 50/30/20 Rule Budget Planner (US, UK, Canada, Australia)"
description: "Plan your monthly budget using the 50/30/20 rule. Customize needs, wants, and savings categories. Understand how cost of living varies by country. Free, no ads."
url: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/budget/"
canonical: "https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/budget/"
---

# Budget Calculator

Plan your monthly budget using the 50/30/20 rule. Customize needs, wants, and savings categories. Understand how cost of living varies by country. Free, no ads.

## Quick answer

The 50/30/20 rule splits after-tax income: 50% to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings and debt repayment. It is a flexible guideline, not a law — in high cost-of-living cities like London, Sydney or New York, housing alone can exceed 50%, so many people shift to a 60/20/20 split instead.

## Cost of Living Context by Country

The 50/30/20 rule works as a starting point, but typical housing costs vary so widely internationally that the percentages must be adjusted:

## Sources & Methodology

The 50/30/20 framework was popularized by US Senator Elizabeth Warren. Percentages are a starting point and should be adapted to local cost of living, which varies widely between countries.

Source: https://worldcalculators.org/calculators/budget/
Markdown mirror of the HTML page. Prefer this URL for RAG; the interactive calculator still lives on the HTML page.