🏠 Home Buying
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
Find out how much house you can afford based on your income, debts, and down payment — with DTI analysis.
📈 Your Financial Profile
Income
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Before taxes — all earners combined
Monthly Debts
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Loan Details
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🏠 Affordability Analysis
Maximum Home Price
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Based on your income and DTI
📈 Gross monthly income—
🔴 Monthly debt payments—
🏠 Max monthly PITI—
💰 Max loan amount—
💰 Down payment—
📈 Front-end DTI—
📈 Back-end DTI—
Back-end DTI Meter
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Affordability by down payment
Down Payment
Max Price
Monthly PITI
Enter your details and click Calculate.
How Much House Can I Afford?
The amount of home you can afford depends on your gross income, monthly debts, down payment, interest rate, and local property taxes. Lenders use two key ratios — front-end and back-end DTI — to determine your maximum mortgage payment.
The 28/36 Rule
The classic guideline is to spend no more than 28% of gross monthly income on housing costs (PITI) and no more than 36% on all monthly debts combined. Many lenders today allow up to 43% back-end DTI for conventional loans, and 50% for FHA loans.
Front-End vs Back-End DTI
- Front-end DTI = (Monthly housing payment ÷ Gross monthly income) × 100. Target: below 28–31%.
- Back-end DTI = ((Monthly housing + all debts) ÷ Gross monthly income) × 100. Target: below 36–43%.
5 Ways to Afford More House
- Increase your down payment — larger down payment = smaller loan needed.
- Pay down debts — eliminating a car loan or credit card payment directly increases your max mortgage.
- Improve your credit score — 740+ gets the best rates, which means more buying power.
- Choose a longer term — 30-year vs 15-year lowers monthly payments, qualifying for more.
- Add a co-borrower — combining incomes significantly increases DTI-based max home price.
Frequently Asked Questions
With a $100,000 annual salary ($8,333/mo), using the 28% front-end rule, your max housing payment is about $2,333/mo. At 7% for 30 years with 20% down, this supports a home price of roughly $310,000–$350,000, depending on taxes and insurance in your area.
DTI (Debt-to-Income ratio) is the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward debt payments. Lenders use DTI to measure financial risk. A lower DTI means more of your income is available for the mortgage payment. Most conventional lenders cap back-end DTI at 43–50%.
20% down eliminates PMI and reduces your monthly payment. However, many loans allow 3–10% down. FHA requires just 3.5% with a 580+ credit score. A larger down payment lowers the loan amount and gives you more buying power on the monthly payment.
Yes. Student loan payments count toward your back-end DTI. Even if your loans are in deferment, many lenders use 0.5%–1% of the outstanding balance as the monthly payment in DTI calculations. Lowering student loan payments (income-driven repayment) can help increase your max home price.
Conventional loans typically require 620+. FHA loans accept 580+ with 3.5% down, or 500–579 with 10% down. VA and USDA loans have no official minimum but lenders often require 620+. Scores of 740+ get the best rates, which directly increases how much house you can afford.