How Much House Can I Afford? (2026)
Enter your income, monthly debts and savings — we apply the 28/36 rule lenders use, then translate the result into a max home price with real county-level taxes and insurance for your state.
How much house can I afford?
The 28/36 rule: housing ≤ 28% of gross income, and all debts ≤ 36%.
At $376,492, your estimated PITI is about $2,800.00/mo — 28% of your gross income, leaving $0.00/mo of borrowing headroom.
What the 28/36 rule actually measures
The traditional guideline has two ratios and lenders look at both. The front-end ratio is housing cost — principal, interest, property tax, insurance and any HOA dues — divided by gross monthly income, and the classic ceiling is 28%. The back-end ratio adds every other monthly obligation on your credit report — car loans, student loans, minimum card payments, child support — and compares that total to income, with a classic ceiling of 36%.
It is a guideline, not a wall. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's automated underwriting will approve back-end ratios up to 50% when credit and reserves are strong, and FHA has a 43% manual ceiling that its automated system can exceed. This calculator shows both ceilings and lets you choose the one to budget against. Most people are better served by the lower number: a payment that only works at 50% stops working the month a car is replaced.
Why this number differs from your lender's
Three reasons. Lenders price the actual house — the tax bill on that parcel, the insurance quote on that address — while this calculator applies a county average, which is why the county picker moves the payment. Lenders count obligations that a simple debts field misses: student loans with no reported payment, co-signed loans, and minimum card payments on balances you carry. And lenders want reserves, commonly two to six months of payments left in the bank after closing, depending on the loan and the loan-to-value.
So the gap runs in both directions. A strong file can be approved for more than this page suggests; a house with a high tax bill or a coastal insurance premium can land lower. Treat the output as a budget, not an approval, and get a pre-approval before you shop.
How to use the answer
Start from the payment you can carry in a bad month rather than the maximum anyone will lend — a mortgage is a 30-year commitment measured against an income that is not guaranteed for 30 years. Then price a real town, not a national average: pick the state, then the county, and watch the tax line move. In property taxes by state you can see how far apart the counties inside one state are.
If the down payment is under 20%, the PMI line belongs in the budget too — how PMI is priced and removed explains when it drops off. And keep closing costs separate from the down payment: the closing cost calculator estimates the cash you need on top of the down payment for your state.
Last reviewed Oct 25 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is the 28/36 rule?
Lenders historically approve borrowers whose housing costs stay under 28% of gross monthly income and whose total debt payments (including the new mortgage) stay under 36%. Many loan programs allow more — FHA can exceed 45% — but 28/36 is a healthy planning baseline.
Does a higher credit score help me afford more?
Yes, indirectly: better credit lowers your mortgage rate and PMI cost, which means the same monthly budget supports a bigger loan. A 760+ score versus a 660 score can swing your rate enough to add tens of thousands of dollars of buying power.