The paychecks are local medians. The housing is today’s typical cost. The first surprise is on Rachel’s half of the rent.
Rachel's half of a West Village two-bedroom would take 93.6% of a New York waitress's median pay.
Gold: Rachel’s half-rent, 93.6% of gross pay. Full track: 100%.
Half the $7,425 monthly rent is $3,712.50. Monica’s half takes 62.1% of a chef’s median pay; together, rent eats 74.6% of their combined pay.
Waitress: $47,610/year · Chef: $71,780/year
Save / share this story ↗Monica’s apartment was rent-controlled on the show. This is a new-lease comparison using Rachel’s season-one waitress job, not her later fashion career.
September 2026 median asking rent for a new lease. Pay is gross BLS OEWS May 2025 median pay in the New York metro.
Sources & on-show facts ↓The Conners, TV’s broke family, are the most comfortable household on the list.
Gold: 22.6% of combined pay. White marker: the 30% line. Full track: 100%.
A typical Elgin house takes 22.6% of Dan and Roseanne’s combined pay—the lowest share of all eight households. Dan’s paycheck alone puts it at 37.5%.
$2,163/month P&I · $114,710/year combined
Save / share this story ↗* Lanford, Illinois is fictional. Elgin stands in because Roseanne Barr said in a 2018 interview that the setting was based on Elgin (via Wikipedia). Roseanne’s factory job is the scenario used.
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. Chicago-metro gross medians: drywall installer + molding machine operator.
Sources & on-show facts ↓A typical house in the Full House ZIP code would cost Danny Tanner 307.6% of his pay, every month.
Each full block is one Danny-sized annual paycheck. Gold fill is the income needed at 30%: 10.3× his pay. Decorative envelopes are not counted.
The ZIP’s typical house means $22,564 a month in principal and interest: 307.6% of a broadcast announcer’s pay. Staying at 30% would take $902,564 a year.
Typical house: $3,678,841 · Pay: $88,030/year
Save / share this story ↗ZIP 94115’s typical house, not the specific Victorian. Danny’s income alone is modeled; Jesse and Joey’s income is not counted.
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. San Francisco-metro gross median for broadcast announcers.
Sources & on-show facts ↓A median Upper West Side one-bedroom would take 92.8% of a New York mail carrier's pay. Elaine the editor? 56.4%.
Gold: Newman’s gross monthly pay; pink: Elaine’s. Both bars use the same dollar scale. White line: the same $4,800 monthly rent.
One $4,800 asking rent, two very different paychecks. Even the editor’s $102,120 median salary leaves rent above the 50% line.
Mail carrier: $62,070/year · Editor: $102,120/year
Save / share this story ↗A one-bedroom is assumed for Newman; his unit size is not stated. Elaine did not live in Jerry’s building. This compares the same neighborhood rent, not their actual leases.
September 2026 median asking rent for a new lease. Pay is gross BLS OEWS May 2025 median pay in the New York metro.
Sources & on-show facts ↓On one nuclear technician's pay, Homer could still buy a typical American house: 24.6% of his pay. He's the only sole breadwinner on our list under the line.
Gold: US typical house, 24.6%. Pink: US four-bedroom, 34.0%. White marker: 30%; both tracks run from 0–50%.
A typical American house fits below 30% on this limited measure. A typical US four-bedroom—the closer match to the show—rises to 34.0%.
$2,258/month P&I · $110,240/year pay
Save / share this story ↗Springfield has no state, so the headline uses the US typical house and US pay. Real Springfield side notes: Illinois 11.7%; Oregon 27.8%. Nuclear technician is a proxy for safety inspector, not an exact job match.
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. US gross median for nuclear technicians.
Sources & on-show facts ↓To keep his half of the rent under 30% of his pay, Joey would need 430 paid acting hours a month: about 2.5 full-time jobs.
Each full block is 173.3 paid hours. Gold fills 2.5 full-time months (rounded), for 429.5 paid hours. Decorative sheets are not counted.
At $28.81 an hour, paying his half alone takes 128.9 paid hours. Holding it to 30% takes 429.5 hours, against 173.3 hours in a full-time month.
$3,712.50/month half-rent · $28.81/hour median
Save / share this story ↗BLS publishes an hourly acting median, not an annual salary: acting work is not year-round. This uses the West Village two-bedroom median; Joey’s soap role paid more in some seasons.
September 2026 median asking rent for a new lease. Pay is gross BLS OEWS May 2025 median pay in the New York metro. Acting uses the hourly median; 2,080 hours/year defines the full-time comparison.
Sources & on-show facts ↓A typical Chicago house would cost Al Bundy 67.6% of a Chicago retail salesperson's pay.
Gold: 67.6% of gross pay. White markers: 30% and 50%. Full track: 100%.
The shoe-store paycheck is $35,820 a year. Staying at the 30% line would require $80,686: 2.3 times that pay.
Typical house: $328,875 · $2,017/month P&I
Save / share this story ↗Retail salesperson is the closest BLS category; there is no separate shoe-sales code. No separate commission adjustment is modeled.
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. Chicago-metro gross median for retail salespersons.
Sources & on-show facts ↓A typical house in the Brady house's ZIP code would cost 106.3% of an LA architect's median pay.
Gold: 106.3% of gross pay. White marker: one whole paycheck (100%). Track ends at 120%.
That is $9,226 a month before taxes and insurance. Use the real house’s $3.2 million sale price from 2023 instead, and the same loan assumptions yield $19,627 a month: 226.1% of pay.
Architect: $104,170/year · Alice’s job today: $43,530/year median
Save / share this story ↗The headline uses ZIP 91602’s typical house, not the specific property. Carol’s income is not counted; she is a homemaker in the original series.
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. Los Angeles-metro gross median for architects.
Sources & on-show facts ↓Who clears the 30% line?
Only the Conners and Simpsons do, on the costs counted here. Over 30% is cost-burdened; over 50% is severely cost-burdened.
| Household / scenario | Monthly cost | Annual gross pay | Share | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConnersElgin · two incomes | $2,163 P&I | $114,710 | 22.6% | Under 30% |
| SimpsonsUS typical house | $2,258 P&I | $110,240 | 24.6% | Under 30% |
| BaronesLynbrook · Ray alone | $4,757 P&I | $101,670 | 56.1% | Over 50% |
| BundysChicago · Al alone | $2,017 P&I | $35,820 | 67.6% | Over 50% |
| Monica + RachelWest Village · 2BR | $7,425 rent | $119,390 | 74.6% | Over 50% |
| NewmanUpper West Side · 1BR | $4,800 rent | $62,070 | 92.8% | Over 50% |
| BradysZIP 91602 · Mike alone | $9,226 P&I | $104,170 | 106.3% | Over 50% |
| TannersZIP 94115 · Danny alone | $22,564 P&I | $88,030 | 307.6% | Over 50% |
10% down · 30 years · 7.24% (Freddie Mac, Oct 29, 2026). Principal and interest only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded, so real costs are higher. Wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, local metro except the US Springfield proxy. Housing: September 2026. These are occupational benchmarks, not the characters’ known salaries.
Download the story figures (CSV) ↓Could your numbers make it work?
Pick a household, then change gross annual pay, down payment or rate. The housing price stays fixed to its verified scenario.
Mortgage: 10% down, 30-year loan, 7.24%. P&I only; taxes, insurance and PMI excluded.
For rented apartments, down payment and mortgage rate do not apply. The 30% and 50% lines are screening benchmarks; they do not establish loan eligibility or include other household spending.
How we measured
Match the job
Use the on-show occupation and its BLS median gross pay in the real metro. Flag imperfect matches.
Price the place
Use September 2026 typical house values or neighborhood asking rents. A real exterior locates a ZIP, not a valuation.
Compare the bill
Divide monthly housing cost by monthly gross pay. Check the 30% and 50% lines, with all exclusions beside the result.
Full methods & limitations
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 annual medians, in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles metros. Homer uses the US median because Springfield has no state. Waiter pay includes tips. Actor pay is hourly because BLS does not publish an annual figure for work that is not year-round.
Housing: September 2026 Zillow Home Value Index single-family middle-tier typical home values (35th–65th percentile), by ZIP when an exterior address is available, otherwise city or US. The four-bedroom comparison uses Zillow’s US four-bedroom series. These are typical homes, not appraisals of TV properties. StreetEasy figures are neighborhood median asking rents by bedroom count for new leases, not long-term or rent-controlled rents.
Mortgage: 10% down, 360 monthly payments, 7.24% annual fixed rate from Freddie Mac PMMS, October 29, 2026. Monthly P&I = loan × monthly rate ÷ [1 − (1 + monthly rate)−360]. Loan = price × 90%. Taxes, insurance, PMI, maintenance and other ownership costs are excluded; real costs are higher. The real Brady house comparison applies this same current loan scenario to its September 11, 2023 sale price; it does not describe its buyer’s financing.
Share = monthly cost ÷ (gross annual pay ÷ 12). Income needed at 30% = monthly cost × 12 ÷ 0.30. Joey’s hours at 30% = half-rent ÷ 0.30 ÷ hourly pay. Full-time comparison = 2,080 hours per year ÷ 12. All calculations use unrounded inputs; only display values are rounded.
Benchmarks: HUD’s over-30% cost-burden and over-50% severe-cost-burden lines. “Passes” means below the first line on these limited costs, not an affordability guarantee. The household ranking is a selected comparison group, not all TV families. Danny’s other adult housemates are excluded, Carol’s income is excluded, and Dan and Roseanne both contribute. Job proxies do not estimate celebrity income or the characters’ actual earnings.
Census Geocoder checks locate 90 Bedford St in 10014; 129 W 81st St in 10024; 1709 Broderick St in 94115; and 11222 Dilling St in 91602. Rent comparisons use neighborhoods, not ZIP medians. Zillow data do not support a full comparison with the original broadcast eras; no such historical affordability claim is made.
Data sources & every on-show fact
Calculated offline from the supplied source snapshots. Original illustrations are generic editorial artwork, not depictions of the shows. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.
- BLS OEWS — May 2025 occupational medians; exact series IDs are retained in the supplied bls_oews.csv.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI September 2026, typical single-family and four-bedroom values.
- StreetEasy data dashboard — September 2026 West Village two-bedroom and Upper West Side one-bedroom asking rents.
- Freddie Mac PMMS — 30-year rate, October 29, 2026: 7.24%.
- US Census Geocoder — exterior-address ZIP checks. HUD — housing-cost-burden benchmarks.
- Friends / Rachel & Monica. Rachel’s waitress job and later fashion career, and Monica’s chef job: Wikipedia, Friends. Two bedrooms and 90 Bedford St: Friends Wiki, Monica’s Apartment (fan wiki). Grandmother’s rent-controlled sublet: Friends Wiki, Monica Geller (fan wiki). The page does not assert an actual on-show rent amount.
- Roseanne / the Conners. Fictional Lanford, Elgin basis from Barr’s 2018 interview, Roseanne at Wellman Plastics and Dan’s drywall work: Wikipedia, Roseanne. Contractor occupation: Roseanne Wiki, Dan Conner (fan wiki). The generic house illustration does not assert a bedroom count.
- Full House / Danny Tanner. Sports anchor and then co-host of Wake Up, San Francisco; Jesse and Joey’s presence: Wikipedia, Full House. Exterior at 1709 Broderick St: Full House Wiki, Tanner house (fan wiki); ZIP independently checked with Census. The model uses a broadcast-announcer wage benchmark.
- Seinfeld / Newman & Elaine. Newman is a mail carrier in Jerry’s building; Elaine works at Pendant Publishing: Wikipedia, Seinfeld. Building location at 129 W 81st St: Seinfeld Wiki, Jerry’s Apartment (fan wiki) and Newman (fan wiki). One bedroom is a modeling assumption, not an on-show fact; Elaine’s comparison is only the same neighborhood rent.
- The Simpsons / Homer. Nuclear-plant safety inspector: Wikipedia, Homer Simpson. Four upstairs bedrooms: Wikipedia, 742 Evergreen Terrace. Springfield’s unspecified state and Oregon naming inspiration: Wikipedia, Springfield. Nuclear technician is a disclosed wage proxy.
- Friends / Joey. Struggling actor, rooming with Chandler, across-the-hall apartment and later soap role: Wikipedia, Friends. Two bedrooms: Friends Wiki, Chandler and Joey’s apartment (fan wiki). Using the same West Village rent is a model assumption.
- Married… with Children / Al Bundy. Chicago setting and Al’s work as a women’s shoe salesman: Wikipedia, Married… with Children. The page does not use the fan-wiki-only store name.
- The Brady Bunch / Mike Brady. Mike’s architect occupation, Carol as homemaker, live-in housekeeper Alice, Studio City exterior and September 11, 2023 $3.2 million sale: Wikipedia, The Brady Bunch. Address 11222 Dilling St is supplied as fan-wiki/common-knowledge provenance in stories.md; the precise original citation is not retained. Census verifies ZIP 91602, not the address’s TV identity. This provenance gap is flagged in QA.
- Everybody Loves Raymond / ranking only. Ray as a Newsday sportswriter and Lynbrook setting: Wikipedia, Everybody Loves Raymond. Reporter pay is the chosen proxy. Robert is not counted in Ray’s household income.
