A house is one of the biggest purchases you can make, so figuring out how much you can afford is a key step in the home-buying process. You’ll need to start by weighing how much money you have coming in — your monthly earnings from your job, investments and any other streams of income — versus how much you have going out to cover costs like student loans, credit card balances and car payments.
ON THIS PAGE Caret Down
Written by
David McMillin
Edited by
Michele Petry
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money .
Bankrate logoFounded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts, who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.
Bankrate logoBankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU — the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
Bankrate logoYou have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Input these numbers into our Home Affordability Calculator to get a clear idea of your homebuying budget.
Most financial advisors agree that people should spend no more than 28 percent of their gross monthly income on housing expenses, and no more than 36 percent on total debt. The 28/36 percent rule is a tried-and-true home affordability rule of thumb that establishes a baseline for what you can afford to pay every month. For example, let’s say you earn $4,000 each month. That means your mortgage payment should be a maximum of $1,120 (28 percent of $4,000), and your other debts should add up to no more than $1,440 each month (36 percent of $4,000). What do you do with what’s left? You’ll need to determine a budget that allows you to pay for essentials like food and transportation, wants like entertainment and dining out, and savings goals like retirement.
As you think about your mortgage payments, it’s important to understand the difference between what you can spend versus what you can spend while still living comfortably and limiting your financial stress. For example, let’s say that you could technically afford to spend $4,000 each month on a mortgage payment. If you only have $500 remaining after covering your other expenses, you’re likely stretching yourself too thin. Remember that there are other major financial goals to consider, too, and you want to live within your means. Just because a lender offers you a preapproval for a large amount of money, that doesn’t mean you should spend that much for your home.
Your housing budget will be determined partly by the terms of your mortgage, so in addition to doing an accurate calculation of your existing expenses, you want to have an accurate picture of your loan terms and shop around to different lenders to find the best offer. Lenders tend to give the lowest rates to borrowers with the highest credit scores, lowest debt and substantial down payments.
Over the past year or so, the Federal Reserve repeatedly raised interest rates in an attempt to bring down inflation. It worked — inflation is much lower now than it was, though still not at the Fed’s goal of 2 percent — but it caused mortgage rates to rise in turn. Increased rates often dampen homebuyer enthusiasm, or even drive them out of the market entirely, which ultimately drives the cost of homes down. However, if you’re still in the market to buy a home, higher interest rates mean your monthly mortgage payments will be steeper. As an example, with a 5 percent interest rate, the principal and interest on a 30-year $600,000 mortgage would be $3,220 per month, according to Bankrate’s mortgage calculator. At 8 percent, that figure would go up to $4,402. (After dropping as low as 3.08 percent in late 2020, 30-year fixed mortgage rates hit 7.8 percent in October 2023.)
Your credit score is the foundation of your finances, and it plays a critical role in determining your mortgage rate. For example, let’s say you have a credit score of 750, considered in the “very good” range by FICO. That will put you in the running for a better rate than, say, a lower credit score of 640, which is at the bottom of the “good” range. To find out your score, check your credit report at one of the big three agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Lenders will also look at your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, to get a clear picture of how risky it is to loan you money. Simply put, the higher your debt-to-income ratio, the more the lender will doubt your ability to pay the loan back. Lenders have maximum DTIs in place that could stand in the way of getting approved for a mortgage. On conventional loans, for example, lenders usually like to see debt-to-income ratios under 36 percent. Most are willing to go up to 43 percent, and in some cases, 50 percent is the cutoff. If you want to shrink your debt-to-income ratio before applying for a mortgage — which is likely a good idea — pay off your credit cards and other recurring debts, like student loans and car payments.
Add up your total monthly debt and divide it by your gross monthly income, which is how much you brought home before taxes and deductions. Here’s an example:
Let’s say you earn $100,000 each year, which is $8,333 per month. By using the 28 percent rule, your mortgage payments should add up to no more than 28 percent of $8,333, or $2,333 per month.
However, there are a lot of factors that can impact your monthly mortgage outlay, including what kind of loan you have, your interest rate, the cost of property taxes and homeowners insurance in your area, and whether or not you’ll have HOA fees to pay. And don’t forget you’d also need to pay a down payment and closing costs upfront, while keeping enough leftover to cover regular maintenance, upkeep and any emergency repairs that may arise.
The down payment is an essential component of home affordability. The more you put down upfront, the less you need to borrow — so by making a larger down payment, you reduce your loan-to-value ratio, which makes a difference in how your lender looks at you in terms of risk. Bankrate’s mortgage calculator can help you explore how different purchase prices, interest rates and minimum down payment amounts impact your monthly payments. And don’t forget to think about the potential for mortgage insurance premiums to impact your budget. If you make a down payment of less than 20 percent on a conventional loan, you’ll need to pay for private mortgage insurance, or PMI.
While it's true that a bigger down payment can make you a more attractive buyer and borrower, you might be able to get into a new home with a lot less than the typical 20 percent down. Some programs make mortgages available with as little as 3 percent or 3.5 percent down, and some VA loans are even available with no money down at all.
Federal Housing Agency mortgages are available to homebuyers with credit scores of 500 or more and can help you get into a home with less money down. If your credit score is below 580, you'll need to put down 10 percent of the purchase price. If your score is 580 or higher, you could put down as little as 3.5 percent. There are limits on FHA loans, though. In most areas in 2023, an FHA loan cannot exceed $472,030 for a single-family home. In higher-priced areas, the number can go as high as $1,089,300. You’ll also need to factor in how mortgage insurance premiums — required on all FHA loans — will impact your payments.
Eligible active duty or retired service members, or their spouses, might qualify for down payment–free mortgages from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. These loans have competitive mortgage rates, and they don't require PMI, even if you put less than 20 percent down. Plus, there is no limit on the amount you can borrow if you’re a first-time homebuyer with full entitlement. You’ll need to also consider how the VA funding fee will add to the cost of your loan.
USDA loans require no down payment, and there is no limit on the purchase price. However, these loans are geared toward buyers who fit the low- or moderate-income classification, and the home you buy must be within a USDA-approved rural area.
Where you live plays a major role in what you can spend on a house. For example, you’d be able to buy a much bigger piece of property in St. Louis than you could for the same price in San Francisco. You should also think about the area’s overall cost of living. If you live in a town where transportation and utility costs are relatively low, for example, you may be able to carve out some extra room in your budget for housing costs.
Being a first-time homebuyer can be especially daunting: You’re paying rent, so how can you manage to save money for a down payment at the same time? Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that adhering to the 28 percent rule is becoming especially challenging for first-time buyers: In the second quarter of 2023, the typical first-time buyer actually spent more than 40 percent of their income on their mortgage payments. Fortunately, there are many down payment assistance programs designed specifically for first-time homebuyers. Depending on where you live and how much you earn, you may be able to qualify for a grant, low-interest loan or forgivable loan to help with your down payment and/or closing costs.
Before you start looking at real estate and shopping around for the right lender, it’s important to take these steps to improve your chances of becoming a homeowner without breaking the bank.
Home prices have been on a rollercoaster ride in recent years and are still very high, as are mortgage rates. It’s enough to make you wonder whether now is even a good time to buy a house. It’s important to focus on your personal situation rather than thinking about the overall real estate market. Is your credit score in great shape, and is your overall debt load manageable? Do you have enough savings that a down payment won’t drain your bank account to zero? If your personal finances are in excellent condition, a lender will likely be able to give you the best deal possible on your interest rate.
It’s not just about money, though. Think about what’s on the horizon for you. Are you comfortable planting roots for the foreseeable future? The longer you can stay in a home, the easier it is to justify the expenses of closing costs and moving all your belongings — and the more equity you’ll be able to build.
Don’t let rising home prices automatically scare you away. Being able to purchase a property starts with these questions:
A $75,000 annual salary won’t buy you as much home as it once did, thanks in large part to inflation. Those earning $75,000 annually bring home about $6,250 per month. And as a general rule of thumb, your housing expenses should not amount to more than 28 percent of your income. Following this guidance, your monthly mortgage payment should not exceed $1,750.
Figuring out how much you can spend on a home comes down to a few key figures, including how much money you earn, how much you can contribute to a down payment, how much money you’re spending each month on other debts and your credit score. When you apply for a mortgage, a lender will scrutinize every aspect of your personal finances to assign a level of risk on whether you’ll be able to pay the loan back. The more you can raise your credit score, lower your debt-to-income ratio and increase the size of your down payment, the better.
In addition to your down payment, you will have to pay a range of closing costs when you buy a home, which include an appraisal, title insurance, an origination fee for the mortgage, real estate attorney fees and more. The total will vary depending on what your lender charges, whether you’ll pay real estate transfer taxes and if the seller agrees to cover a portion of the fees. As you’re budgeting for a home purchase, it’s wise to plan for between 2 percent and 5 percent of the home’s purchase price. So, if you’re buying a $400,000 home, your closing costs might range between $8,000 and $20,000. Some lenders might give you the option to roll those costs into the loan to avoid paying for them out-of-pocket. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll pay interest on them if you choose that option.
