Realistic Home Affordability Calculator

👋 How to use this calculator

This tool helps you figure out whether you can realistically afford a specific house — not just whether the monthly payment looks manageable, but whether your full financial picture supports it. Take the results of this calculator as a rough estimate. No data leaves your device so feel free to enter personal information.

1 Enter a label or the property address so you remember what this was for!

2 Enter your income and total cash saved for a home.

3 Enter the home you're considering and its mortgage details.

4 Fill in all your current monthly living expenses honestly.

5 Review your Financial Receipt — it updates live as you type and export to csv or pdf.

💡 Tip: Enter % fields as decimals (e.g. 6.25 for 6.25%) and $ fields with or without commas (e.g. 400,000).

1 Property Step 1 of 4 — Optional

Address or Label (optional — helps label your receipt)

2 Income & Savings Step 2 of 4

Monthly Household Net Income ($)

⟶ Amount after taxes, retirement, benefits, insurance & all payroll deductions.

Total Cash Saved for a Home ($)

⟶ Cash saved for down payment, realtor fees, & closing costs.

I already have a separate emergency fund with enough cash for 3–6 months of expenses.

If unchecked, the calculator will show how much you should have saved as an emergency fund based off your expenses— in addition to your down payment and fees. This should be a completely separate pool of money from your home savings.

3 Mortgage & Upfront Costs Step 3 of 4

Purchase Price ($)

Interest Rate (%) — enter as decimal e.g. 6.25

⟶ Mar 2026 avg: 6.3% (30yr) · 5.75% (15yr)

Loan Term (years)

⟶ Typically 15 or 30

Annual Property Taxes ($)

⟶ Use last year's + 2.5–10%. Avg: $3k–$7k/yr

Annual Home Insurance ($)

⟶ National avg: ~$2,600/yr ($216/mo)

Realtor Fees (%)

⟶ Avg: 2.5% · Seller may cover. 0 if no agent

Closing Costs (%)

⟶ Avg: 3%–5% of purchase price

4 Monthly Living Expenses Step 4 of 4

ℹ️ Fill in your actual monthly spending for each category. Estimated US national averages provided for a single individual shown below each field to help calibrate.

Utilities ($)

⟶ Avg: ~$600/mo · Electric, gas/oil heating, water, internet, phone, trash, etc.

Cars & Transportation ($)

⟶ Avg: ~$1,000/mo · Car payment, insurance, gas, maintenance, public transport fares, etc.

Food & Household Items ($)

⟶ Avg: ~$450/mo · Groceries, dining out, cleaning supplies, etc.

Health & Wellness ($)

⟶ Avg: ~$200/mo · Copays, medications, gym, hygiene. +$300 (single) or +$1,000 (family) if you pay health insurance premiums after tax.

Savings & Investments ($)

⟶ Avg: ~5%-15% of monthly net income · Emergency fund, brokerage, Roth IRA

Loans & Other Debt ($)

⟶ Avg: ~$500/mo · Student loans, credit cards, personal loans (NOT mortgage or car)

Child Expenses ($)

⟶ Avg: $1,000–$2,000 per child · Daycare, education, essentials

Fun & Discretionary ($)

⟶ Avg: ~10% of monthly net income · Entertainment, dining, travel, hobbies, subscriptions

Miscellaneous ($)

⟶ Any monthly recurring or ad-hoc expenses not covered above

Financial Receipt

Your Home

MONTHLY NET INCOME

MONTHLY BALANCE

📊 Income Breakdown — % of Monthly Net Income

🏡 What House Price Can You Actually Afford?