Add down payment, rate, term, and full housing costs.
Read max price and DTI—stress-test below the ceiling before you shop.
Front-end vs back-end DTI
Front-end DTI is housing payment divided by gross monthly income; back-end DTI adds car loans, student debt, and minimum card payments. Lenders use different caps—this guide pairs with the calculator for a 28/36-style planning baseline, not pre-approval.
Worked example (illustrative)
Gross income $9,000/month, other debts $650/month, target back-end DTI 36%—housing payment near $2,590/month might be the cap including tax and insurance. With $80,000 down on a 6.75% 30-year loan, that supports roughly a $420,000–$450,000 price range depending on tax and HOA. Run your income and debts in the mortgage affordability calculator.
Common search questions
Mortgage affordability calculator — max home price from income and debts.
How much house can I afford calculator — DTI and down payment inputs.
Home affordability calculator — include tax, insurance, and HOA—not just P&I.
Open the tool when you already have a quote, a deadline, or a what-if and need a clear number for real estate.
Situations people use it for
Rent vs buy with opportunity cost on the down payment
Flip or rental ROI with rehab and holding costs
DSCR or cash-flow checks before a lender conversation
How to read the result
Treat the output as a structured estimate. Small input changes should move the result in a direction that makes sense.
Run a conservative case first. If it still works, you have margin.
Change one field at a time so you know what actually moved the number.
Save the scenario with a name you will recognize later ("2027 refi", "15-year plan").
This model assumes: Mortgage affordability calculator: gross income, debts, down payment, and rate → max home price, loan amount, and front/back-end DTI.
Common slip-ups
Skipping maintenance, tax, and insurance in "cheaper than renting" math
Using today's rent forever without inflation
Ignoring transaction costs on both buy and sell
Try it with your numbers
Open the Mortgage Affordability calculator, enter your case, and keep a screenshot or PDF if you will revisit the decision. Everything runs in your browser; your inputs are not sent to our servers for the math.