There are two House Affordability Calculators that can be used to estimate an affordable purchase amount for a house based on either household income-to-debt estimates or fixed monthly budgets.
Modify the values and click the calculate button to use
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salary + other incomes (before tax)
long-term debts, car, student loan, etc
Before you fall in love with a listing, it helps to know the number that actually matters: the price your income, debts, and down payment can realistically support. This house affordability calculator does that math for you. Enter your annual income, your monthly debt payments, how much you've saved for a down payment, and the current interest rate, and it returns a sensible home-price range plus the monthly payment behind it. Reading the result is straightforward — the top number is your estimated maximum price, and the payment shown beneath it is what you'd owe each month to support that price. Nudge any input and the range updates instantly, so you can see exactly how a smaller car loan or a bigger down payment changes what's within reach.
This house affordability calculator estimates the home price your income, debts, and down payment can realistically support. Competitor pages consistently frame affordability around the 28/36 rule, debt-to-income ratios, and the trade-off between qualifying for a loan and actually being comfortable with the payment.
This page should stay clearly distinct from other calculators in your mortgage cluster. A mortgage calculator estimates the monthly payment for a specific loan. A down payment calculator focuses on the upfront cash needed. A DTI calculator isolates the ratio lenders care about. A house affordability calculator is different because it combines all of those pieces into one answer: what price range fits your financial picture.
Lenders don't guess at affordability — they lean on ratios, and so does this tool. The best-known is the 28/36 rule. The "28" says your housing payment shouldn't eat up more than about 28% of your gross monthly income. The "36" says all your monthly debts combined — housing plus car loans, student loans, credit card minimums — shouldn't pass roughly 36% of that income.
This calculator works backward from those limits. It figures out the largest monthly payment your income allows, strips out room for property taxes and insurance, factors in your interest rate, and then solves for the home price that fits. That's why two people earning the same salary can see very different results: their debts and down payments aren't the same.
Debt-to-income, or DTI, is the single number lenders obsess over, and it's worth understanding because it quietly sets your ceiling. It's simply your total monthly debt divided by your gross monthly income.
For conventional loans, a back-end DTI around 36% is comfortable, though many borrowers still qualify into the low-to-mid 40s with strong credit and reserves. FHA loans are more flexible — the common benchmarks are 31% for housing alone and 43% for total debt, and some borrowers go higher with compensating factors. A useful rule of thumb: a DTI at or below 36% is considered solid, 36–43% is acceptable, and above 43% usually needs work before you'll get a clean approval.
The takeaway is simple — the lower your existing debt, the more of that 36% (or 43%) is left for a house.
Here's something a lot of buyers underestimate: every monthly debt payment you carry comes straight out of your home budget. That $450 car payment isn't just $450 — over a mortgage, it can knock tens of thousands of dollars off the price you qualify for.
Picture two buyers earning $100,000 a year. One has no monthly debts; the other has a $400 car payment and a $300 student loan. Same income, but the second buyer has $700 a month less to put toward housing under the 36% limit — and that gap can translate into a six-figure difference in the home price each can afford. If you're house-hunting, paying down or paying off a loan beforehand is often the fastest way to grow your budget.
People love a clean answer here, so let's use a concrete case. On a $100,000 salary — about $8,333 a month gross — the 28% housing guideline points to roughly a $2,333 monthly housing payment. After carving out property taxes, homeowners insurance, and possibly PMI, the loan amount that payment supports at today's rates (low-to-mid 6%) typically lands somewhere in the $300,000–$375,000 home-price range, depending on your down payment and local tax rates.
Bump the income up, and the ceiling rises proportionally. Add monthly debt, and it falls. That's the whole engine in a sentence: income pushes your number up, debt pulls it down, and the down payment and rate fine-tune the rest.
Your down payment does more than reduce the loan. It changes affordability from both directions. A bigger down payment shrinks the amount you borrow, which lowers your monthly payment and lets you afford a higher purchase price within the same DTI limit. It also helps you avoid private mortgage insurance once you cross 20% down — and dropping PMI frees up money that goes straight back into your buying power.
The flip side: stretching to a tiny down payment can leave you with a higher payment, PMI, and a thinner safety cushion. The calculator lets you test different down payment amounts so you can find the balance between buying sooner and buying comfortably.
This is the part most calculators skip, and it's the most important. The maximum a lender will approve is rarely the amount you actually want to spend. The bank's number is built around ratios; your real life includes daycare, retirement savings, travel, car repairs, and the occasional bad month.
A good habit is to treat the calculator's maximum as a ceiling, not a target. Many financially comfortable buyers deliberately shop 10–20% below their approved max so the mortgage leaves breathing room. The 28% guideline is a smart starting point precisely because it leaves space for the rest of your budget. Affording the payment on paper and feeling good about it every month are two different things.
A few quick snapshots show how the pieces interact.
$90,000 income, no monthly debts, 10% down. With most of the 36% limit available for housing, this buyer often reaches into the $330,000–$360,000 range comfortably.
Same $90,000 income, but $650 in monthly debt and 10% down. Those payments shave a meaningful slice off the housing budget, often pulling the affordable price down toward $260,000–$290,000.
$90,000 income, modest debt, but 25% down. The larger down payment removes PMI and reduces the loan, lifting the affordable price and lowering the monthly payment at the same time.
Same income, three very different homes — driven entirely by debt and down payment.
Pay down monthly debts first. Eliminating a car or card payment frees up DTI room and can raise your price ceiling fast.
Save toward 20% down when you can. It removes PMI and stretches your budget further.
Improve your credit before applying. A better score earns a lower rate, and a lower rate directly raises what you can afford.
Don't forget the extras. Property taxes, insurance, HOA dues, and maintenance are part of true affordability, not afterthoughts.
Shop below your max. Leaving a cushion protects you from rate changes, life surprises, and lender stress.
Get pre-approved. It confirms the calculator's estimate against your real financial profile.
Roughly $300,000 to $375,000 in many cases, depending on your debts, down payment, interest rate, and local taxes. Lower debt and a bigger down payment push the figure higher.
It's a lending guideline suggesting your housing payment stay under about 28% of gross monthly income, and your total debt payments under about 36%. It's the backbone of most affordability estimates.
A DTI of 36% or less is considered strong, 36–43% is acceptable, and above 43% usually needs improvement. FHA loans allow more flexibility than conventional ones.
There's no single number — it depends on the home price, your debts, your down payment, and current rates. Work backward: the calculator shows the income needed for any target price.
Yes, significantly. Every monthly debt reduces the share of income available for housing under the 36% limit, so a car loan can lower your affordable price by tens of thousands of dollars.
20% lets you avoid PMI and maximizes buying power, but many buyers put down less. A larger down payment lowers your payment and raises the price you can afford within the same limits.
Usually not. The approved maximum is a ceiling, not a recommendation. Many buyers shop below it to keep room in their budget for everything else life costs.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for educational and planning purposes only. Actual loan approval, affordability, and terms depend on your lender, credit profile, location, and full financial picture. Ratio benchmarks referenced reflect common 2026 lending guidelines and may vary by program. This is not financial advice — consult a qualified mortgage professional before making a purchase decision.