Find the maximum home price you can realistically afford from your income, debts, and down payment — compared side-by-side across Conventional, FHA, Conservative, and Aggressive DTI limits.
| Preset | Front-End % | Back-End % | Max Home Price | Max Monthly Payment |
|---|
Enter Your Affordability Details
Fill in your income, debts, and down payment to see how much house you can afford.
The house affordability calculator answers the question every home shopper asks before browsing listings: given my income, my existing debts, and my planned down payment, what's the most house I can realistically carry each month? Rather than a single rule of thumb, it solves directly for a maximum home price using the same front-end and back-end debt-to-income (DTI) mechanics lenders use to size a mortgage, then lets you compare the result across four different DTI standards side by side.
You enter your annual gross income, your total monthly debt payments, a down payment percentage, an expected interest rate and loan term, and your area's typical property tax rate, home insurance cost, and any HOA dues. The calculator converts your income into a maximum allowed monthly housing payment under your selected DTI preset, subtracts the fixed non-mortgage costs (tax, insurance, HOA) from that budget, and solves algebraically for the home price whose remaining principal-and-interest payment exactly uses up what's left — no guessing or trial-and-error required.
First-time home buyers sizing up their budget before touring homes, move-up buyers checking how a new down payment or existing mortgage balance changes their ceiling, anyone comparing a Conventional loan's guidelines against FHA's more permissive limits, and buyers with existing debt who want to see how paying down a car loan or credit card could raise their affordable price. It pairs naturally with NeftCal's Mortgage Calculator for sizing a specific monthly payment and the Rent vs Buy Calculator for the broader rent-or-buy decision.
Home price is the single biggest number in a home purchase, and getting a realistic ceiling before falling in love with a listing prevents wasted time and painful renegotiations. Because affordability depends on several interacting factors — DTI limits, down payment, interest rate, loan term, taxes, insurance, and HOA — a small change in any one of them can shift the maximum affordable price by tens of thousands of dollars, which is easy to underestimate without running the actual numbers.
A closed-form solve for home price — no iteration needed
From your income and debts to a maximum home price in under a minute
Input your gross annual income before taxes, then enter your total monthly debt payments — car loans, student loans, credit cards, and any other recurring obligations.
Pick Conventional, FHA, Conservative, or Aggressive from the DTI Preset dropdown to set the front-end and back-end debt-to-income limits the calculation uses.
Enter your planned down payment as a percentage of the home price, your expected mortgage interest rate, and choose a 15, 20, or 30-year loan term.
Enter your area's typical property tax rate, an annual home insurance estimate, and any monthly HOA dues so the calculator can account for the full monthly housing payment, not just principal and interest.
See your maximum home price, maximum loan amount, maximum monthly payment, and required down payment, plus a full PITI breakdown and a side-by-side comparison across all four DTI presets.
Using the calculator's own default scenario — a $90,000 earner with $400/month in existing debt
Suppose you earn $90,000/year, pay $400/month in existing debts, plan a 10% down payment, expect a 6.8% interest rate on a 30-year loan, face a 1.1%/year property tax rate and $1,400/year insurance, with no HOA — using the Conventional (28%/36%) DTI preset.
Explanation: the figures above are the same closed-form calculation this calculator's JavaScript runs, shown step by step so you can verify the mechanics — enter these exact inputs into the calculator above and you should see matching results. Notice that the front-end limit ($2,100), not the back-end limit ($2,300), was the binding constraint here — a reminder that increasing your income or lowering your DTI preset's front-end percentage can matter just as much as paying down debt.
Debt-sensitivity comparison: if this same buyer's monthly debts were $700 instead of $400, the back-end PITI cap would drop to $2,000 ($2,700 − $700), which would then become the new binding constraint below the $2,100 front-end cap — lowering the maximum home price even though income and every other input stayed identical. This is exactly why the back-end ratio deserves as much attention as the front-end ratio.
What your Max Home Price and PITI breakdown actually tell you
Your Max Home Price is a ceiling, not a target — it's the price at which your monthly PITI exactly consumes the DTI budget of your selected preset, with no cushion left for savings, maintenance, or unexpected costs. Many buyers deliberately shop below their calculated maximum for exactly this reason.
| Chosen Preset's Back-End DTI | General Read | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|
| Under 33% (Conservative) | Comfortable cushion for savings and unexpected costs | Buyers prioritizing financial flexibility over maximum price |
| 36% – 43% (Conventional / FHA) | Standard, widely-used lending range | Most conventional and FHA-backed purchases |
| 45% and above (Aggressive) | Little room for error if income or expenses change | Buyers stretching to reach a specific price point |
If your Max Home Price feels low relative to local listing prices: check whether your monthly debts or DTI preset is the binding constraint — the comparison table shows exactly how much more room a less restrictive preset like FHA would allow, and lowering existing debt payments often moves the needle further than a larger down payment.
If you're comparing multiple presets: a higher DTI preset raising your ceiling doesn't mean you should spend up to it — it means a lender might approve that amount, which is a different question from what fits comfortably in your budget alongside savings goals and other expenses.
Risk considerations: this calculator uses a flat property tax rate, insurance estimate, and constant income and debts. Real property tax bills, insurance premiums, and personal financial circumstances change over time, so treat the result as a planning estimate rather than a guaranteed lending outcome.
This tool provides general estimates for educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized financial or lending advice. Actual mortgage approval amounts depend on credit score, employment history, assets, loan program rules, and lender-specific underwriting — consult a licensed mortgage professional before making home-buying decisions.
Where this house affordability calculator earns its keep
Establish a realistic maximum home price before touring listings or contacting an agent.
Compare Conventional against FHA's more permissive DTI limits to see the price difference each allows.
Lower the Monthly Debt Payments field to see how much paying off a car loan or credit card could raise your ceiling.
See how a larger down payment percentage increases the home price your monthly budget can support.
Compare a 15, 20, or 30-year term to see the effect on both affordability and long-term interest cost.
Adjust the property tax rate and insurance fields to compare affordability across different areas you're considering.
Factor in monthly HOA dues to see their real impact on the maximum price you can afford for a condo or planned community.
Bring an independent estimate into a conversation with a loan officer or mortgage broker.
Pair your calculated ceiling with NeftCal's Rent vs Buy Calculator to weigh both sides of the decision.
Test how a higher or lower expected interest rate shifts your maximum affordable home price.
What this house affordability calculator does well, and where it can't replace a lender's underwriting
Using this page's worked example — $90,000 income, $400/month debts, 10% down, 6.8%/30yr, 1.1% tax, $1,400/yr insurance
| Preset | Front-End % | Back-End % | Max Home Price | Max Monthly Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 25% | 33% | ≈ $259,180 | $1,875 |
| Conventional | 28% | 36% | ≈ $292,333 | $2,100 |
| FHA | 31% | 43% | ≈ $325,510 | $2,325 |
| Aggressive | 33% | 45% | ≈ $347,621 | $2,475 |
Common questions about house affordability and DTI ratios
Official guidance to complement this calculator — not a substitute for licensed lending advice
Other US home-buying and mortgage planning tools