How much house can I afford, in plain numbers.

To find out how much house you can afford, take the most your income allows for housing each month, then work back to the price that fits it. This calculator does that with two common rules of thumb: a housing ratio (28 percent of your monthly income by default) and a debt ratio (36 percent by default, housing plus your other debts). The smaller result wins. It then solves for the price where the loan payment, property tax, insurance and HOA add up to that amount. The ratios are not a lender’s rules, and every number in a box is an example. It is maths, not advice.

How to use it

1. Pick Income to price to find the highest price, or Price to income to see what a home you like needs.
2. Type your Yearly income before tax and your Other monthly debts. The debts are payments such as a car loan, student loan and card minimums.
3. Type the Down payment, the Rate (%) you were quoted and the number of Years.
4. Open Tax, insurance, HOA and the ratios and type your local property tax, your insurance and any HOA. Change the two ratios if your lender uses others.
5. Read the big card, then the tables for other rates and other ratios. Copy result copies a line and Copy link to these numbers reopens the page with your inputs.

The two ratios

Both ratios compare money to your gross monthly income, which is the income before tax. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes a debt-to-income ratio as all your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income, and says different loan products and lenders have different limits (CFPB, checked 24 Oct 2026). It does not name 28 or 36. Those two numbers are only the page’s starting values, so ask your lender which limits they use.

A worked example

Income 90,000 a year is 7,500 a month. Housing ratio: 28 percent of 7,500 = 2,100. Debt ratio: 36 percent of 7,500 = 2,700, less 800 of other debts = 1,900. The smaller number, 1,900, is the most for the whole housing cost. With a 6.5 percent example rate over 30 years, 40,000 down, property tax of 1.1 percent of the price a year and 1,800 a year of insurance, the highest price is about 276,735. The loan is 236,735, the payment on it is 1,496.33, tax is 253.67 and insurance is 150.00. Those add up to 1,900.00.

In this example the debt ratio decided, because 800 of other debts uses up part of the budget. With no other debts the same income reaches about 304,369, since the housing ratio of 2,100 then becomes the limit.

What changes the answer most

Every row changes one thing from the example. A lower rate or a bigger down payment raises the price you can reach, and so does a longer loan, but a longer loan costs more interest over time. The monthly cost stays the same in the rate rows because the ratios fix it. The tables under the result run these what-ifs on your numbers.

Small changes, big effects

Property tax and HOA fees matter more than many buyers expect, because they use up the same monthly budget as the loan. Each row changes one thing in the example:

A 200 HOA costs about 27,600 of price in this example, and a property tax of 2.0 percent instead of 1.1 costs about 26,000. When you compare two homes, compare the full monthly cost, not only the price. Put the real tax and HOA of each home in the boxes. Remember too that a price you can reach is a ceiling, not a target. Leave room for repairs, moving and the first months of a new home.

What is not counted

• Mortgage insurance, which some loans add when the down payment is small. Add it to the HOA box as a monthly amount if you know it.
• Closing costs, moving costs, repairs, utilities and furnishing.
• Rate changes. The page keeps one fixed rate for the whole loan.
• Your taxes and your other goals. A payment inside the ratios can still feel tight, so also check it against your real monthly budget.

To see a full payment with extra payments and a schedule, use the mortgage calculator. To test a loan on its own, try the loan calculator. If you are renting while you save, the does the same kind of check for rent.