How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (2024)

Paddio mortgage services are not available in NY, NV, NJ, UT.

Estimate your home loan preapproval amount based on your income and expenses.

A home price up to$would be with this budget.

See Budget Breakdown →

Debts Exceed Debt to Income Ratio

See Budget Breakdown to adjust

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (1)

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (2)

Find Out How Much Mortgage I Can Afford

What percentage of my income should go toward a mortgage?

The 28/36 rule is an easy mortgage affordability rule of thumb. According to the rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your pre-tax income on your mortgage payment and no more than 36% toward total debt obligations. Your mortgage, car payment, credit cards and student loans all count as debt.

How do lenders calculate home affordability?

Basic mortgage affordability factors include your monthly income, other debt obligations, and credit score. Your lender will compare the money coming in to the money going out and represent this as a figure called the debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. Lenders are looking for borrowers who have stable, reliable income- the kind of people who can make their mortgage payment on time every month.

The last thing a lender wants is to put you in a home that will make you house poor, or worse, put you on the road to foreclosure. Your lender’s goal is to make sure you’re at low risk for default while giving you the purchasing power you need to make a competitive offer on a home you love.

Homebuying starts here.

It all begins with getting qualified. It’s simple, it’s easy and you can do it in minutes.

Start Now

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (3)

What Factors Determine How Much House I Can Afford?

Your lender will consider yearly income, your monthly debts and obligations, your credit, your cash reserves, employment history and more when calculating your maximum loan amount. Getting prequalified feels great -- but it doesn’t mean you should pull the trigger on a home at the top of your budget.

Within your prequalification amount, it’s up to you to decide how much risk you want to assume. If you want to play it safe, stick to the 28/36 rule, and make sure your monthly mortgage payment exceeds no more than 28% of your monthly gross income. As you inch closer to your lending limit, your monthly budget could feel the squeeze after closing, leaving little extra for dining out and other leisure activities. If you do buy a home at the top of your budget, it’s a good idea to consider job security, potential future earnings growth, and cash reserves as compensating factors that can offer extra peace of mind in the long term.

How does your DTI impact affordability?

To figure out how much mortgage you can afford, your lender will compare the money coming in to the money going out and represent this as a figure called the debt-to-income ratio, or DTI.

Remember the mortgage rule of thumb-- no more than 36% of your gross monthly income should go toward debts, including a mortgage. And your mortgage shouldn’t be more than 28% of your pre-tax earnings. If you have compensating factors, like excellent credit or large cash reserves, you may be able to swing a higher DTI.

How to calculate your DTI

Home affordability calculators use some basic information to determine your debt-to-income ratio:

  1. Your gross (pre-tax) monthly income
  2. Your other monthly debt payments
  3. The proposed monthly mortgage payment of a home, including taxes and insurance

Once you have the right information, calculating your DTI is simple. Just add your monthly expenses, and divide the total by your monthly income.

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (4)

How to Calculate What You Can Afford

When you start house hunting, there’s probably one big question on your mind-- How much house can I afford? One major indicator of home affordability is your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. DTI represents the relationship between your income and expenses, and it’s an important factor in the home loan qualification process.

Let’s take a look at a DTI calculation using an example:

Pre-tax monthly income:

$6,000

Monthly debt obligations:

Car payment

$300

Student loans

$150

Credit cards

$100

Total:

$550

Proposed mortgage payment:

Principle & interest

$1,000

Taxes

$300

Insurance

$200

Total:

$1,500

First, add the proposed mortgage payment to the existing debt obligations to find the total monthly debt obligation:
$1,500 + $550 = $2,050

Next, divide the total monthly debt obligation by the gross monthly income:
$2,050 / $6,000

Debt-to-income ratio: 34%

At 34%, DTI falls within the home affordability sweet spot according to the 28/36 rule of thumb.

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (5)

How Much Can I Afford? - Home Loan Affordability Calculator (2024)

FAQs

How much house can I afford based on my salary? ›

You should aim to keep housing expenses below 28% of your monthly gross income. If you have additional debts, your housing expenses and those debts should not exceed 36% of your monthly gross income. Your max purchase budget is the loan amount that lenders could probably give you based on what you've told us.

How much do I need to make a year to afford a $400000 house? ›

Your payment should not be more than 28%. of your total gross monthly income. That means you'll need to make 11,500 dollars a month, or 138 k per year. in order to comfortably afford this 400,000 dollar home.

How do I calculate my affordability mortgage? ›

Using a percentage of your income can help determine how much house you can afford. For example, the 28/36 rule may help you decide how much to spend on a home. The rule states that your mortgage should be no more than 28 percent of your total monthly gross income and no more than 36 percent of your total debt.

How much house can I afford if I make $36,000 a year? ›

On a salary of $36,000 per year, you can afford a house priced around $100,000-$110,000 with a monthly payment of just over $1,000. This assumes you have no other debts you're paying off, but also that you haven't been able to save much for a down payment.

Can I afford a 300k house on a 70K salary? ›

If you make $70K a year, you can likely afford a new home between $290,000 and $310,000*. That translates to a monthly house payment between $2,000 and $2,500, which includes your monthly mortgage payment, taxes, and home insurance.

How much income do I need to make to afford a $300000 house? ›

How Much Income Do You Need to Buy a $300,000 House? With a 5% down payment and an interest rate of 7.158% (the average at the time of writing), you will want to earn at least $6,644 per month – $79,728 per year – to buy a $300,000 house.

What income is needed for a $500,000 mortgage? ›

In today's climate, the income required to purchase a $500,000 home varies greatly based on personal finances, down payment amount, and interest rate. However, assuming a market rate of 7% and a 10% down payment, your household income would need to be about $128,000 to afford a $500,000 home.

How much annual income to afford a 350k house? ›

Following the 28/36 rule, a guideline many mortgage lenders use to gauge how much you can afford, you'd likely need to earn at least $90,000 per year to afford a $350,000 house without spreading yourself too thin. Keep in mind that figure does not include upfront payments, like your down payment and closing costs.

What income is needed for a 600k mortgage? ›

The principal, interest and property mortgage insurance on $600,000 house with a 15% down payment and a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage with 7% rate would cost $3,662. To afford this, you would need a monthly income of about $13,079 or an annual income of about $157,000.

What is a good affordability score for a mortgage? ›

Well, as a rule of thumb to be accepted by almost all lenders you would need to have a DTI of 30% or less. Up to 40% and you may not be offered the highest income multipliers available. With a DTI of 50% or more, lenders consider you to be a high-risk borrower.

What is the rule of thumb for home affordability? ›

Here's a simple industry rule of thumb: Housing expenses should not exceed 28 percent of your pre-tax household income.

How much house for $3,500 a month? ›

A $3,500 per month mortgage in the United States, based on our calculations, will put you in an above-average price range in many cities, or let you at least get a foot in the door in high cost of living areas. That price point is $550,000.

Is $36,000 a year low income? ›

A widely used federal guideline defines low income as $14,580 annually for one person and $30,000 for a family of four.

Can someone who makes 40k a year afford a house? ›

How much house can I afford with 40,000 a year? With a $40,000 annual salary, you should be able to afford a home that is between $100,000 and $160,000. The final amount that a bank is willing to offer will depend on your financial history and current credit score.

Can I buy a house with 36k income? ›

For example, if you make $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year), you can afford a mortgage with a monthly payment no higher than $1,080 ($3,000 x 0.36). Your total household expense should not exceed $1,290 a month ($3,000 x 0.43). How much house can I afford with an FHA loan?

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 6425

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.