Affordability Calculator
Before any big purchase, the real question is not whether a lender will approve you, but whether it fits your life. This calculator checks both. Choose a home, a car, or another purchase, then enter your income, expenses, debts, and savings. It builds your true monthly payment, tests it against the two ratios lenders use (28 percent for housing and 36 percent for total debt), confirms you have the cash to close, and shows what is genuinely left in your budget each month. It also solves for the most you could comfortably spend.
21% of the price, paid from savings
Borrowing $315,000
Before tax. Combine both partners if buying together.
Car loan, student loans, cards, anything with a monthly bill.
Everyday costs, not counting debt payments or the new purchase.
Need $97,000 up front (down payment plus costs).
Total debt would be 33% of income (under the 36% guide), it leaves about $767 of breathing room each month, and about $13,000 in savings after you buy.
How it works
Lenders judge affordability with two ratios, both measured against your gross income. The front-end ratio is your housing cost alone, and the guide is 28%. The back-end ratio is every debt payment added together, and the guide is 36%, stretching to about 43% at most. This tool builds your monthly payment from the loan (for a home it adds property tax, insurance and any HOA to make the full PITI), checks both ratios, and then looks past the lender: it subtracts an estimate of tax to find your take-home, removes your living costs and existing debts, and shows what is genuinely left over. It also confirms you have the cash for the down payment and upfront costs, and solves for the largest price that still fits the limits. Educational only, not lending or financial advice.
Free and private: the numbers you enter stay in your browser. Educational only, not investment advice.