How Much House Can I Afford?
Enter your income, monthly debts, and down payment to find your maximum comfortable home price. Uses the standard lender 28/36 DTI rule.
1 Income & Debts
2 Loan Details
3 Est. Housing Costs (optional)
4 Check a Specific Price (optional)
Enter your income to see results
Fill in annual income and down payment above to calculate your maximum affordable home price.
Maximum Affordable Home Price
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Based on 28/36 DTI rule — most comfortable budget
Max Monthly Payment
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Principal + interest + escrow
Max Loan Amount
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After your down payment
Debt-to-Income Analysis
Monthly Income
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Gross (before tax)
28% of Income
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Front-end limit
36% of Income
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Back-end limit
Binding Constraint
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What limits your budget
The 28/36 Rule Explained
US mortgage lenders use the 28/36 rule as their primary affordability threshold. It sets two limits on how much of your income can go toward debt.
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28
Front-End DTI: Your total housing payment — principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance (PITI) — should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income.
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36
Back-End DTI: All of your monthly debt payments combined — housing plus car loans, student loans, credit cards — should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income.
What Affects How Much You Can Borrow?
- Credit Score: Higher scores unlock lower rates, increasing power
- Debts: Monthly payments directly reduce your loan budget
What Can You Afford? Three Real Scenarios
Scenario 1
$80K income, $300/mo debt, 10% down
At 6.9%, 30-yr fixed, 10% down. Requires ~$27K down + ~$8K closing costs.
Scenario 2
$120K income, $800/mo debt, 20% down
Every $100/mo in existing debt costs ~$15,000 in home buying power.
Scenario 3
$60K income, FHA loan, 3.5% down
FHA allows higher DTI ratios than conventional. 3.5% down = $6,825 on a $195K home.
The Rule vs. Reality
The 28/36 rule gives you a safe, lender-verified ceiling — not a spending target. Many financial planners recommend targeting 20–25% of gross income on housing to preserve cash flow for emergencies, retirement, and maintenance (typically 1–2% of home value per year — on a $400,000 home, that's $4,000–$8,000/year).