Home & mortgage
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
Find the highest home price your country's lending rules allow from your income, debts and cash, which rule stops you, and the monthly cost. 15 countries.
Most you can pay for a home
$296,900
with a $214,026 loan and $82,874 down · limited by the housing ratio
How the maximum was worked out
Each rule below was asked for the highest price it allows on its own; the lowest, $296,900, is the answer. At that price $7,126.00 of buying costs leaves $82,874.00 of your $90,000.00 for the deposit.
No statutory test rate. A qualified mortgage must be underwritten on the highest payment in its first five years, which for a fixed rate is the payment itself.
The traditional guideline. Many lenders now allow 45% to 50% total with strong credit or reserves.
Loan
$214,026
72.1% of the price
Deposit
$82,874
your cash after the buying costs
Buying costs
$7,126
$1,188.00 transfer and recording tax, New York
Monthly cost
$1,749.95
at 6.5% over 30 years
United States lending rules. An estimate, not financial advice, providers may calculate differently.
The price each rule allows
| Rule | Highest price it allows | At your maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Cash for the deposit and buying costs | $1,406,200 | 27.9% down |
| Housing costs, share of income | $296,900 | Binding · 28% |
| All debt payments, share of income | $364,500 | 28% |
The 28/36 guideline most American lenders start from. Private mortgage insurance applies above 80% loan-to-value. American lenders qualify a buyer on the share of gross income going to housing and to all debt. No law caps either share since 2021; FHA's ratios bind only FHA-insured loans.
- Principal & interest$1,352.7977%
- Property tax$272.1616%
- Home insurance$125.007%
What the maximum costs each month
At the 6.5% you entered, $214,026 over 30 years is $1,352.79 a month of principal and interest. Lenders tested it at 6.50%, where it would be $1,352.79.
Borrowing the maximum leaves no margin: a price below it keeps room for repairs, rate rises and the costs the rules do not count.
A result link includes the numbers you entered. Share it only with people you want to see them.
How this is calculated
The calculator asks each of your country's lending rules for the highest home price it allows on its own, and the answer is the lowest of them. Your cash pays the transfer tax and other buying costs first and the rest is the deposit, which must meet the minimum the loan-to-value rule sets; the loan must stay within any income multiple; and the payment, at the test rate where the rules set one, must fit the share of income the country allows, alone and with your other debts. The table names the price each rule allows, so you can see which one stops you and by how much.
Maximum pricethe highest P where
cash − buying costs(P) ≥ minimum deposit(P)
L ≤ income multiple × income
payment(L, r*) + housing costs ≤ housing share × monthly income
payment(L, r*) + housing costs + debts ≤ total share × monthly income
- P
- the home price being tested, up to the maximum
- L
- the loan: P − (cash − buying costs), plus any insurance premium added to it
- r*
- the test rate: your Interest rate, or the higher rate the rules require
What this does not include
- Your credit history, job security and the lender's own scorecard, which can lower the figure.
- Every allowance above a limit: lenders may exceed many of these rules for a share of loans.
- First-home grants, shared ownership, and stamp-duty reliefs for first-time buyers.
- Living costs beyond debts and housing, which many lenders also deduct.
- Variable-rate changes after you buy; the payment is at the rate you enter.
How this calculator works
How much can I borrow? Income multiples, test rates and deposits. How lenders' limits turn into a maximum price: 28/36 in the US, Ireland's four times income, Canada's qualifying rate, the Dutch table, with worked examples.
Data sources
| Dataset | Authority | Effective | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States mortgage qualifying ratios | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Within its effective period | |
| United Kingdom mortgage lending limits | Bank of England | Within its effective period | |
| German mortgage affordability conventions | BaFin | Within its effective period | |
| Canadian debt service ratios | CMHC | Within its effective period | |
| Australian mortgage serviceability rules | APRA | Within its effective period | |
| Irish Central Bank mortgage lending limits | Central Bank of Ireland | Within its effective period | |
| Dutch mortgage financing burden norms | NIBUD | Within its effective period | |
| New Zealand debt-to-income restrictions | Reserve Bank of New Zealand | Within its effective period | |
| Swedish mortgage affordability rules | Finansinspektionen | Within its effective period | |
| Indian FOIR lending conventions | Reserve Bank of India | Within its effective period | |
| Sri Lankan debt service conventions | Central Bank of Sri Lanka | Within its effective period | |
| Finnish debt-servicing recommendation | Finanssivalvonta | Within its effective period | |
| Japanese repayment burden conventions | Japan Housing Finance Agency | Within its effective period | |
| French HCSF lending conditions | Haut Conseil de stabilite financiere | Within its effective period | |
| Spanish mortgage affordability conventions | Banco de Espana | Within its effective period | |
| United States real estate transfer taxes by state | Code of Alabama 40-22-1 | Within its effective period | |
| UK property transfer taxes: SDLT, LBTT and LTT | GOV.UK | Within its effective period | |
| German Grunderwerbsteuer by Land | Grunderwerbsteuergesetz section 11 | Within its effective period | |
| Canadian land transfer tax and registration fees by province and territory | Ontario Ministry of Finance | Within its effective period | |
| Australian stamp duty by state and territory | Revenue NSW | Within its effective period | |
| Irish stamp duty on residential property | Revenue | Within its effective period | |
| Dutch overdrachtsbelasting on homes | Belastingdienst | Within its effective period | |
| New Zealand: no stamp duty on buying a home | Inland Revenue | Within its effective period | |
| Swedish stamp duty on buying a house | Lantmateriet | Within its effective period | |
| Indian stamp duty and registration fees by state | Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department | Within its effective period | |
| Sri Lankan stamp duty on a deed of transfer | Inland Revenue Department | Within its effective period | |
| Finnish transfer tax on buying a home | Vero.fi | Within its effective period | |
| Japanese registration and licence tax and real estate acquisition tax on buying a home | National Tax Agency | Within its effective period | |
| French droits de mutation a titre onereux on a home | DGFiP | Within its effective period | |
| Spanish ITP and AJD on buying a home, by comunidad autonoma | Ministerio de Hacienda | Within its effective period |
Every document each dataset was read from, its notes and how the figures were checked are listed in the guide's data sources.
This calculator is for general information only and is not financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the stated formula; lenders and providers may round or calculate differently. Check any decision with the institution involved or a qualified adviser.