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How much house can you afford?

Get three honest answers — conservative, moderate, and stretch — based on your income, debts, and down payment. Updates instantly.

Your finances

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$
Car loans, student loans, credit card minimums, etc. Excludes housing.
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%
%
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Your custom debt-to-income target. Lenders typically allow 36% (conventional) up to 43% (qualified mortgage).
Estimated max home price
$376,595
Based on a 36% back-end DTI with your debts factored in.

Custom DTI estimate

Max home price @ 36% DTI
$376,595
Max monthly housing (PITI)
$2,850
Loan amount
$336,595
Tip
If you eliminated $200/mo of debt, your max home price could rise by $25,308.

Three affordability tiers

Conservative · 28% DTI
$340,743
Max home price
Max PITI / mo
$2,567
Principal & interest
$1,951
Property tax
$341
Insurance
$150
PMI
$125
Loan amount
$300,743
Moderate · 36% DTI
$376,595
Max home price
Max PITI / mo
$2,850
Principal & interest
$2,183
Property tax
$377
Insurance
$150
PMI
$140
Loan amount
$336,595
Stretch · 43% DTI
$457,792
Max home price
Max PITI / mo
$3,492
Principal & interest
$2,710
Property tax
$458
Insurance
$150
PMI
$174
Loan amount
$417,792

How affordability is calculated

We use the classic 28/36 rule as the basis for the three tiers. The conservative tier limits housing costs (PITI + PMI) to 28% of gross income. The moderate tier allows total debts including housing to reach 36% of gross income. The stretch tier pushes that to 43% — the maximum allowed for most qualified mortgages.

For each tier we solve for the home price whose monthly PITI matches the budget, given your rate, term, property tax %, insurance, and down payment. PMI is automatically included at 0.5% APR if your down payment is less than 20% of the resulting home price.

Want a deeper walkthrough? Read How much house can I afford? — or jump to the full mortgage calculator once you have a target price in mind.

Frequently asked questions

What DTI ratio do mortgage lenders accept?

Most conventional lenders prefer a back-end debt-to-income (DTI) ratio of 36% or lower, where your total monthly debts (including the new mortgage) divided by your gross monthly income is at or below 36%. Many qualified mortgages allow up to 43%, and some FHA loans go higher with compensating factors. The 28/36 rule — 28% on housing and 36% total — remains the most common benchmark.

How do you calculate how much house I can afford?

We start with your gross monthly income, multiply it by your target DTI percentage to get a maximum monthly debt budget, subtract your existing monthly debts, and that's your housing budget (PITI). We then solve for the home price whose principal, interest, property tax, insurance, and PMI add up to that budget — given your rate, term, and down payment.

Should I include my partner's income?

Yes, if you're applying jointly. Lenders look at all borrowers' combined gross income and combined monthly debts. If only one of you is on the mortgage, only that person's income and debts count.

Why does the conservative tier use a 28% DTI?

The 28% figure is the front-end DTI — housing costs only, with no other debts factored in. Lenders historically used 28% as the maximum percentage of gross income that should go to housing. It's a stricter test that protects you from being house-poor even if you take on new debt later.

Does this include closing costs?

No. This calculator estimates the home price you can afford based on monthly cash flow. Closing costs (typically 2-5% of the loan amount) come out of your savings at closing on top of your down payment. Make sure you have reserves beyond the down payment shown here.