What home price fits your real life? Enter your income, debts, down payment, rate, and location. We use the 28/36 rule lenders use — plus local tax and insurance — so you see price, monthly payment, a safe range, and how stressed the payment feels.
Tax, insurance, and median prices change what the same salary buys. Open your state for local numbers, city breakdowns, and a calculator with presets filled in.
You get four things at once: a home price, a monthly payment, a safe range, and a stress label. The range sits a bit below the max so you have room for repairs and life changes.
The breakdown cards split your payment into five parts. Mortgage is principal and interest. Taxes and insurance change by state. HOA applies to condos and some planned communities. Maintenance is a cash buffer we set at 1% of home value per year so you are not surprised by a new roof or HVAC.
Lenders use gross pay, not take-home. We cap housing at 28% of gross. All debt stays near 36%. This is a plan, not a pre-approval.
Example: $100,000 a year is about $8,333 a month gross. Twenty-eight percent is $2,333 for housing. If you already pay $350 on a car loan, the 36% cap may lower your home price before the 28% cap does.
At $100k gross, the 28% rule allows about $2,333 a month for housing. At 6.5% with 20% down, that often maps to a home near $280,000–$320,000 — less in high-tax states, more where prices are lower. Use the calculator above for your debts and location.
Comfortable means the payment sits well under 28%. Moderate is near the rule. Stretched is close to or above it. Over limit means other debt blocked the 36% cap.
Treat it as a ceiling. Many buyers pick a home 5–15% below the max so daycare, travel, and job changes do not break the budget.
Twenty percent avoids PMI and lowers the monthly bill. You can buy with less, but the same income supports a lower price. Enter your real down payment above — do not assume you will get to 20% later unless it is already saved.
Yes, but rates change. Run the math at today’s quote and again one point higher. If a higher rate breaks the budget, size the home for the worse case.
