Max monthly payment
$4,560
How much house can you afford?
Start from your income and debts and see the price range that keeps your debt-to-income ratio within the limits lenders use. Includes state-based tax and insurance estimates for CA, CO and FL.
Your finances
Updates live
Income & debts
Gross monthly income
$12,000
$
Other monthly debts (cars, cards, student)
$600
$
Cash + market
Down payment available
$80,000
$
ZIP code
CA · tax 1.10% · ins $1,200/yr
Loan assumptions
Loan term
Interest rate
6.625%
% APR
DTI comfort level
"DTI" = your monthly debts ÷ gross income. Most lenders cap at 43% on conforming, 50% on FHA, 38% on jumbo. Lower is more comfortable, and you'll qualify with more lenders.
You can afford up to
$641,000
at $4,560/mo housing · 43% DTI · 30-yr @ 6.625%
Back-end DTI
43%
0%
36% · comfortable
43% · conv cap
100%
Tight but workable. You're at 43%, right at the 43% conforming cap and above the 36% comfort line. It's worth a 15-minute call before you make offers.
Conventional (incl. high-balance)
cap 43%
43% · at cap
FHA (low down)
cap 50%
Qualifies
Jumbo (above area limit)
cap 43%
Qualifies
VA (eligible vets)
flexible
Qualifies
Loan amount
$561,000
What's inside that monthly?
using state defaults, confirmed at pre-approval
Principal & interest$3,201
Property tax$532
Insurance$100
Total housing (PITI)$3,833
How affordability is calculated.
Why "debt-to-income" instead of just income? +
Two people with the same income don't have the same buying power if one has a $700/mo car payment and the other has none. DTI measures what's already committed, so the lender can see how much room is left for a mortgage. The standard ratio is back-end DTI: (housing + all other monthly debts) ÷ gross income.
What's the 28/36 rule? +
An older, conservative rule: housing ≤ 28% of gross income (front-end), total debt ≤ 36% (back-end). Most programs today allow more: conforming up to 43%, FHA up to 50% with compensating factors. Use 36% as a comfort floor; use 43–50% as the technical ceilings.
Does my credit score affect what I can afford? +
Indirectly, yes. Score changes the rate you qualify for, which changes the payment, which changes the max price for the same DTI. Going from 680 → 740 can shift max affordability by 5–8% on the same income. We can model both at pre-approval.
Should I buy at my max? +
Almost never. The lender's cap is not your budget. Aim to land 5–10 percentage points below the cap so you can absorb a rate change, a property-tax reassessment, or an HOA increase without re-budgeting. The calculator shows your ceiling, not your goal.
Why is jumbo treated separately? +
Loans above the conforming limit ($832,750 in 2026 for most counties, up to $1,249,125 in high-cost counties such as Los Angeles) are funded outside Fannie/Freddie. Between those two figures, a loan in a high-cost county is a high-balance conventional loan, not a jumbo. Jumbo lenders set their own rules, usually 38–43% DTI, 10–20% down and required reserves. If your scenario crosses into jumbo, the underwriting picture shifts; we'll flag it on this page automatically.
Continue exploring
Mortgage
What's the monthly on a specific price?
Standard PITI calculator with state-aware defaults and a payment breakdown chart.
DSCR · InvestorWill this rental cash flow?
For investors. Live DSCR, cap rate and the non-QM programs a property qualifies for.
RefinanceIs it worth refinancing?
Break-even math that includes closing costs and the cost of restarting your loan term.
Affordability estimate based on standard lender DTI guidelines. Not a commitment to lend. Actual qualifying amount depends on credit score, employment history, reserves, property type, and full underwriting. Buku Lending, Inc. · NMLS 2113850 · CA-CFL 60DBO-135330. Licensed in CA, CO, FL. Equal Housing Opportunity.
A 43% DTI qualifies on paper, but lenders treat the 36–43% range differently. Some charge more for it and some don't, so I'd compare a few lenders before you lock.