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A $100,000 salary sounds like a house until you subtract the debts you already pay. The rows below use a 28% housing guideline and a 36% guideline that counts those debts. A lender can use a different limit, and often does.
Both rows use 20% down, a 6.75% example rate, a 30-year term, a 1% property-tax rate, and $1,800 a year of insurance. Credit, loan type, and the real tax and insurance bills are not in this number.
Written for Equidwell and last checked in October 2026. We build the calculators on this site. We are not a lender, and this page is not advice for your loan.
The 28% and 36% figures are a common educational guideline. Lenders can use different limits, and approval depends on credit, reserves, loan type, and other factors.
Down payment
Under 20%, the estimate adds PMI at 0.50% of the loan per year.
Example starting rate, not a live quote.
Loan term
Placeholder rate of 1%. Replace it with the local rate.
Estimated maximum home price
$362,552
Limited by the 28% housing guideline
The home-price estimate uses the lower of the 28% and 36% amounts, then subtracts the tax, insurance, and PMI assumptions before solving for price. Actual underwriting varies.
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| Other monthly debts | What limits the price | Max housing payment | Example home price | Example loan | Down payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 28% housing guideline | $2,333.33 | $362,552 | $290,042 | $72,510 |
| $400 | 28% housing guideline | $2,333.33 | $362,552 | $290,042 | $72,510 |
At this salary, $400 of other monthly debts still leaves the 28% housing guideline as the tighter limit, so the two prices match. A larger debt payment would reduce the price.
Principal and interest are not always the complete housing payment. Property taxes, homeowners insurance, PMI when the loan is above 80% of the price, and HOA fees can all sit on top of that payment. Replace the placeholders with the bills for the property. The PMI calculator and the closing cost calculator cover two of those extra costs. This site is not a lender, and these figures are not a loan offer.
With the assumptions on this page, the educational estimate is about $362,552. $400 of other monthly debts does not lower it, because the 28% housing guideline is still tighter. Neither figure is a pre-approval.
The 28% guideline looks at the housing payment alone. The 36% guideline subtracts other monthly debts first. The lower of the two limits the price. A different rate, down payment, tax bill, or insurance quote moves it again.
Yes. The housing payment in the estimate includes principal and interest, a 1% tax rate, and $1,800 a year of insurance. It does not include HOA dues. PMI is included only when the down payment is under 20%. These rows use 20% down, so the PMI estimate is not added.
Change income, debts, down payment, rate, taxes, and insurance.
See how existing debts use the 36% guideline.
Turn a percent down into cash required.
Start from a home price instead of a salary.
Longer guides on these topics are linked from the guides library.