Find how much house you can afford based on income, debts, down payment, and mortgage rate. Uses the 28/36 debt-to-income rule.
A house affordability calculator uses the 28/36 rule to find the home price you can comfortably afford. The front-end ratio limits housing costs (P&I, taxes, insurance, HOA) to 28% of gross monthly income, and the back-end ratio limits total debt payments to 36%. The calculator solves for the maximum loan amount and home price given your income, existing monthly debts, down payment, expected mortgage rate, and property tax + insurance rates.
Target 20% to avoid PMI
Tax % • Ins % • HOA $/mo
$324,384
Loan amount: $304,384 • Down: $20,000 (6.2% of price)
| Monthly cost | Amount | % of income |
|---|---|---|
| Principal & Interest | $1,924 | 23.1% |
| Property tax | $307 | 3.7% |
| Insurance | $102 | 1.2% |
| Total housing (PITI + HOA) | $2,333 | 28.0% (front-end) |
| Total debt (housing + other) | $2,833 | 34.0% (back-end) |
Uses the 28/36 rule (front-end / back-end DTI): housing costs should not exceed 28% of gross monthly income, and total debt payments should not exceed 36%. Lender guidelines may be more or less strict (FHA allows up to 31/43, conventional typically 28/36, conforming 50% DTI available with strong credit).
Cross-checked against authoritative formulas (IRS, NIST, ACSM) and updated for 2025/2026 tax years and rates.
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A house affordability calculator is a free home-buying planning tool that estimates the home price you can afford based on your income, debts, down payment, and expected mortgage rate. Our house affordability calculator uses the 28/36 rule: housing costs should not exceed 28% of gross monthly income (front-end ratio) and total debt payments should not exceed 36% (back-end ratio). The calculator solves for the maximum loan amount, then adds the down payment to get the home price.
How it works
Our house affordability calculator uses the 28/36 rule to find the maximum home price you can afford based on income, debts, down payment, and mortgage rate.
Type your household gross annual income (before tax). The house affordability calculator divides by 12 for the monthly DTI calculation.
Type your monthly debt payments (car, student, cards, child support) and your planned down payment. 20% down avoids PMI; FHA allows 3.5%.
Type the expected mortgage rate (current 30-year fixed is around 6.5% in 2026) and loan term (15, 20, or 30 years). The house affordability calculator solves for max loan amount given the resulting monthly payment.
Type your expected property tax rate (0.5-2.5% depending on state), insurance rate (0.3-0.5%), and any monthly HOA fees. These are deducted from your max allowed housing payment to find the P&I portion.
The house affordability calculator shows the maximum home price you can afford, the loan amount, monthly P&I, total monthly housing cost (PITI + HOA), and both the front-end (28%) and back-end (36%) debt-to-income ratios.
Maximum home price affordable at common income levels using the 28% front-end debt-to-income rule:
| Annual income | Monthly housing budget (28%) | Affordable home price (with 20% down, 6.5% mortgage) |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $1,167 | ~$190,000 |
| $75,000 | $1,750 | ~$290,000 |
| $100,000 | $2,333 | ~$390,000 |
| $150,000 | $3,500 | ~$590,000 |
28% front-end DTI is conservative. Lenders often allow up to 36-43% DTI (front + back). Property taxes and insurance vary by location ($200-800/mo). Use the calculator above with your full debt picture and down payment.
Estimate monthly mortgage payment, total interest, and amortization schedule.
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