Renters insurance calculator: how much coverage you need
An apartment with $18,000 of belongings needs a $20,000 personal property limit; an actual cash value policy would pay about $10,800 on a total loss.
Independent site, not an insurer or a broker. ZIP code figures are the Treasury's for 2018 to 2022.
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Personal property limit to ask for
$20,000
Your inventory adds up to $18,000 at today's replacement prices, rounded up to the next $5,000.
| Paid on a total loss, replacement cost policy, before deductible | $18,000 |
| Paid on a total loss, actual cash value policy | $10,800 |
Jewelry, collections and cash usually have lower sublimits inside the policy; list them apart.
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the numbers come from · Treasury FIO data, BLS indexes and the texts cited below · not a quote
A renters policy, the HO-4 form, covers your belongings, your liability to others and extra living costs if the apartment becomes unlivable; the landlord's policy covers only the building. The coverage you choose is the personal property limit, and the way to set it is an inventory at today's replacement prices. A one-bedroom with $6,000 of furniture, $3,500 of electronics, $4,000 of clothes, $2,500 of kitchen goods and $2,000 of other items adds up to $18,000, so a $20,000 limit. Choose replacement cost if you can: an actual cash value policy deducts wear, and at 40 percent average wear it would pay about $10,800 on a total loss. The Treasury file has no renters data, so this site does not show a price by ZIP code. The BLS consumer price index for tenants' and household insurance rose +16.3% from 2022 to September 2026, slower than homeowners insurance (+33.2%).
What a renters policy covers
Most renters policies have three main parts. Personal property pays to repair or replace your belongings after a covered peril such as fire, smoke, theft, vandalism, windstorm or water from a burst pipe, usually anywhere in the world, not only in the apartment. Personal liability pays claims and legal costs if you injure someone or damage someone else's property, often with a $100,000 or $300,000 limit. Loss of use pays the extra cost of living elsewhere while the apartment is being repaired, covered on the loss of use page. Flood and earthquake are excluded and need separate policies.
Building the inventory
Go room by room and price what it would cost to buy each item new today, not what you paid. People tend to underestimate clothes, kitchen goods and small items, which add up quickly. The ranges below are rough orders of magnitude to check your list against, not data; your own figures go in the calculator.
| Room | What to count | Typical order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Sofa, chairs, tables, lamps, rugs, television, speakers | $3,000 to $10,000 |
| Bedrooms | Beds, mattresses, dressers, bedding, clothes, shoes | $3,000 to $12,000 each |
| Kitchen | Small appliances, cookware, dishes, food | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| Work and study | Laptop, monitor, printer, desk, chair, books | $1,500 to $6,000 |
| Storage and outdoor | Bicycle, tools, luggage, sports equipment | $500 to $4,000 |
Your inventory in five lines
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Personal property limit to ask for
$20,000
| Paid on a total loss, replacement cost policy, before deductible | $18,000 |
| Paid on a total loss, actual cash value policy | $10,800 |
Replacement cost or actual cash value
An actual cash value policy pays what the item was worth at the time of the loss: a five-year-old sofa or laptop is worth a fraction of its price new. A replacement cost policy pays what it costs to buy a new equivalent, often after you have bought it and sent the receipt. The difference in premium is usually small next to the difference on a large claim. The advanced field of the calculator sets the average wear of your belongings, and the result shows both payments on a total loss.
Sublimits and what to list apart
Inside the personal property limit, policies cap some categories: jewelry and watches, furs, cash, collectibles, firearms, silverware and sometimes electronics used for business, often at $1,500 or $2,500 per category for theft. If an engagement ring or a camera kit is worth more, schedule it on an endorsement with an appraisal or receipt; scheduled items are usually covered without a deductible and against more causes of loss. A roommate's belongings are not covered by your policy unless they are named on it.
What it costs, and what the index shows
Renters insurance is one of the cheapest lines of personal insurance, because the insurer does not cover the building. There is no federal file of renters premiums by ZIP code comparable to the Treasury homeowners data, so this site does not publish one; prices you read elsewhere come from insurer quotes or industry samples. What the BLS does publish is a price index for tenants' and household insurance. It rose +16.2% from 2018 to September 2026, +16.3% of it since 2022, while consumer prices overall rose +15.1% from 2022. Your quote depends on the limit, the deductible, the city and the building.
Liability and medical payments
The liability part is often the most valuable part of a renters policy and the least thought about. If a guest trips on your rug, or a fire that starts in your kitchen spreads to the unit next door, the claim against you can exceed the value of everything you own. A $300,000 limit usually costs little more than $100,000. Medical payments to others, a small separate coverage, pays a guest's minor medical bills without a lawsuit. Damage you cause to the landlord's building is a liability matter too, which is why many leases set a minimum.
Keeping the inventory useful
An inventory is also the proof you will need on a claim. Walk through the apartment with a phone video once a year, open closets and drawers, and keep receipts for large purchases in an e-mail folder or cloud storage, outside the apartment. After a fire or a burglary, a list made beforehand settles a claim faster than one rebuilt from memory.
Landlords and leases
Many leases require renters insurance with a minimum liability limit and ask that the landlord be listed as an interested party, so it hears if the policy lapses. Listing the landlord does not give it coverage under your policy; it only receives notices. If a landlord offers its own program, compare its limits and deductible with a policy you buy yourself. When you move, the policy moves with you: update the address and the limit before the move, since belongings in transit and in storage may have their own limits.