Calculator
How much house can you afford?
The useful answer is not a multiple of your salary but a payment: what your income and debts leave each month, and the price that payment supports at a real rate and term, plus the down payment you have. This calculator runs that arithmetic in any currency, names the US ratios it uses so you can swap in your own market's caps, and works entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Before tax, total for everyone buying together.
Car loans, student loans, card minimums, other loans. Not rent.
You could afford roughly
$370,093
Based on a comfortable $1,960 monthly payment for your income and debts.
What to do with this number
- This ran entirely in your browser; nothing you typed was sent anywhere.
- The math works in any currency; the symbol and grouping follow your country.
- The ratios are named, the US 28/36 convention, so you can swap in the caps your own market uses.
A price range is half of affordability. The other half is the cash you hand over on the day you buy: the down payment plus closing costs, which no monthly payment covers. The closing costs tool estimates that figure the same way this page works, free and in your browser.
Then your country’s guide covers the local market and where owners list their homes; get a written pre-approval from a lender before you make a serious offer.
The other ways buyers set a budget: a full pre-approval from a lender, which takes a day or two, is what sellers expect behind a serious offer, and can come in under this estimate once your credit and documents are checked; or setting your own cap below the maximum a lender will offer, the conservative route many first buyers take.
Affordability is two numbers, not one
The price above is the first number: what a lender's ratios say your income can carry month to month. The second is the cash you need on the day you buy, the down payment plus the closing costs, taxes, and fees that no monthly payment covers, and it varies widely by country. Plenty of budgets clear the first number and fail the second, usually after the right home has already been found. Run both before you start viewing: this page for the payment side, the closing costs tool for the cash side.
How it works: payment first, then price
Most lenders start from two ratios: your housing payment should sit under roughly 28% of your gross income, and all your debt payments together under roughly 36%. This takes the lower of those two limits as a comfortable payment, then works backward through the interest rate and term to the loan it supports, and adds your down payment to reach a price. The 28/36 split is a US convention; lenders in other countries reach a similar answer through different rules, such as loan-to-income caps or stress-tested rates, so treat it as a starting point wherever you are.
It is a starting point, not an approval. Taxes, insurance, and credit history all move the real number. Once you have a price in mind, the mortgage calculator shows the exact payment, and the buying guide walks through doing it without an agent.
Common questions
What are the 28/36 ratios this calculator uses?
They are the limits most US lenders start from: your housing payment should stay under about 28% of your gross monthly income, and all your debt payments together, housing included, under about 36%. The calculator takes the lower of the two limits as your comfortable payment and works backward to a price.
How much house can I afford on my salary?
A rough rule says three to five times your gross annual income, but the spread inside that range is driven by interest rates, your other debts, and your down payment, which is exactly why this calculator asks for them instead of multiplying your salary. Two buyers on the same income can afford very different homes if one carries a car loan and card minimums. Enter your real numbers and trust the payment the result is built on, not a multiple.
What if I have no down payment?
Enter 0 and the price shown is simply the loan your income can support. Many lenders want at least a small deposit before they will lend, and the minimum varies by country and loan program, so check what applies to you before you shop.
How is this different from a mortgage pre-approval?
This is a planning estimate built from two simple ratios. A pre-approval is a written answer from a lender after it checks your income, debts, and credit, and it is what sellers take seriously; many lenders issue one within 24 to 48 hours of getting your documents. Use this page to set expectations, then get pre-approved before making offers, and be ready for the approved figure to come in under this estimate.
Does the result include property tax and insurance?
No. The payment here is principal and interest only. Property tax, home insurance, and any community or service charges come on top and vary by location, so the payment a lender tests you against will be higher than the one shown.
Can I use this calculator outside the United States?
Yes. The math works in any currency, and the calculator follows your country for the currency symbol and number format. The 28/36 ratios are a US convention, though: lenders elsewhere size loans with their own rules, such as loan-to-income caps or stress-tested rates, so treat the result as a rough starting point.
Should I borrow the maximum a lender approves?
No rule says you must, and many buyers deliberately set their own cap below it. The maximum is what the lender believes you can repay, not what leaves room for repairs, a rate rise at renewal, or a drop in income. The conservative route, common among first buyers, is to choose a monthly payment you could still manage in a bad month and let that payment set the price.