Calculating while living in multifamily

[Joseph Senno]

Hi there,

Brand new at this. Wife and I are considering house hacking (in the North East Coast).

Our goal right now is basically just to try to live rent free, by having rents cover most of the mortgage (likely in a duplex). We both have full time jobs. 

I'm looking at calculations on how to get started, and am getting a bit confused by trying to understand the numbers if we are planning in one of the units. 

Is there some shortcut to understand numbers this way, or do I just need to get more familiar with the numbers. 

I hope that all makes sense.Thanks for any help. We're happy and excited to be here. 

Best,

Joe