Free Calculator · 2026

How Much House Can I Afford? Calculator

Enter your salary, debt, and down payment to see exactly how much home you can afford. Uses real bank DTI ratios.

Open Affordability Calculator →
Affordability Calculator
Enter your salary, debt, and down payment to see exactly how much home you can afford. Uses real bank DTI ratios.
Use Free Calculator →

How It Works

Our calculator uses the same underwriting formulas that banks and lenders apply when reviewing mortgage applications. All calculations are based on standard amortization math, current Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac guidelines, and real market data from NAR, CFPB, and Freddie Mac.

Results are for educational purposes. Always consult a licensed mortgage professional before making financial decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this calculator free?
Yes — completely free. No sign-up, no email required, no hidden fees.
How accurate are the results?
Results use standard amortization formulas and national average assumptions for taxes, insurance, and PMI. Your actual costs will vary based on location, lender, and credit profile. Use these as a starting point, not a final answer.
What data sources do you use?
Rate data from Freddie Mac PMMS. Tax averages from US Census Bureau. PMI estimates from Urban Institute. Lending criteria from Fannie Mae and FHA guidelines.
Mortgage Calculator → Bank Rejection Engine → Credit Score Simulator → Days to Homeownership → Dream Home Quiz → All 32 Tools →
Free Analysis — No SSN Required
Not sure if you'll get approved?

Talk to Zai — Free → Decode a Denial Letter →
Buying from abroad? International buyers (Singapore, UAE, Turkey, Canada) face additional overlay layers. Some lenders require 30% down for foreign nationals. Ask Zai which lenders accept international profiles — free analysis →
The part no calculator can tell you

Numbers like these tell you what you can afford. They cannot tell you whether a lender will say yes — and that varies more than almost anyone realises. In the complete 2025 federal record, approval rates across the 100 largest FHA lenders ran from 98.2% down to 21.3%. Same program, same year.

And it is not simply who applies where: holding state, loan amount, income, debt-to-income and loan-to-value constant, applicant mix explains only a 2.7× range in expected outcomes.

Which lenders approve most → Your metro's lenders → Apply to more than one? →

CFPB HMDA 2025, computed by FinanceRateCalc · rates reflect applicant mix as well as lender practice · historical observation, not a prediction · free, CC BY 4.0.

The Denial Dispatch
One finding a week from the federal mortgage record.
One chart, three paragraphs, every Saturday. Measured, not assumed.
Get the Dispatch →
AI Accuracy Index The Door Effect The Denial Map Open Data About 184 Metro Gaps Evidence Navigator Hallucination Files Press Newsletter
FinanceRateCalc · Independent analysis of the complete federal HMDA record · Measured, not assumed. · No lender or AI vendor funds or previews this work.