The rule of thumb was always you could buy a house that was 3x your household income (though I've always thought this rule was a little aggressive...). A $700k house requires a household income of about $240k. If there are two earners, that's $120ka piece.
To afford a $600,000 house, you typically need to know how much income is required, which generally falls between $150,000 to $200,000 annually, depending on your financial situation, down payment, credit score, and current market conditions.
If we assume about about a third of your income is dedicated to housing costs, multiply that $57,600 figure by three to approximate the minimum income you'd need to earn to afford a $750K house: $172,800. (Note that this number does not factor in the upfront funds required for a down payment and closing costs.)
To determine how much you can afford for your monthly mortgage payment, just multiply your annual salary by 0.28 and divide the total by 12. This will give you the monthly payment that you can afford.
The average monthly repayments on a £700,000 mortgage are roughly £3,695. This example figure is based on a capital repayment mortgage of this amount with a term length of 25 years and a rate of 4%, which is representative of the UK market in recent months.
On a salary of $36,000 per year, you can afford a house priced around $100,000-$110,000 with a monthly payment of just over $1,000. This assumes you have no other debts you're paying off, but also that you haven't been able to save much for a down payment.
Experts often advise that you spend no more than approximately one-third of your income on housing costs. That means you can triple $64,800 to get a clearer picture of what the annual income requirements would be in order to comfortably afford a $900,000 home: approximately $194,400, at a bare minimum.
According to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on all debts. Housing costs can include: Your monthly mortgage payment. Homeowners Insurance. Private mortgage insurance.
To comfortably afford an $800,000 house, you'll likely need an annual income between $220,000 to $260,000, depending on your specific financial situation and the terms of your mortgage. Remember, just because you can qualify for a loan doesn't mean you should stretch your budget to the maximum.
To afford a $500,000 house, you'll need to make a minimum of $91,008 a year — and probably more to make sure you're not house-poor and can afford day-to-day expenses, maintenance and other debt, like student loans or car payments.
For a $600,000 home, a 20% down payment would be $120,000. While some loan programs allow for lower down payments, providing at least 20% can help you avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI) and reduce your monthly payments.
A $100K annual salary breaks down to about $8,333 per month. Applying the 28/36 rule, 28 percent of $8,333 equals $2,333. That's notably less than our estimated monthly home payment on a $600,000 house, $3,700, so no, you probably cannot reasonably afford a home purchase of that amount on your salary.
If you use the cap rate equation [property value = annual rent/(mortgage rate - long term growth), $2300 is the monthly rent for a place worth around $700k.
Here's what you can expect to pay for both 15- and 30-year mortgage loan payments on a $750,000 loan using today's mortgage rates: 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.15%: $3,655.37 per month. 15-year fixed mortgage at 5.65%: $4,950.39 per month.
Use Bankrate's mortgage calculator to figure out how much you need to make to afford a $700,000 home: Assuming a 30-year fixed mortgage and a 20 percent down payment of $140,000, at an interest rate of 6.5 percent, your monthly principal and interest payment would be $3,539.
One rule of thumb is to aim for a home that costs about two-and-a-half times your gross annual salary. If you have significant credit card debt or other financial obligations like alimony or even an expensive hobby, then you may need to set your sights lower.
To start, here's what an $800,000 mortgage would cost at today's average rates, assuming the conventional 20% down payment ($160,000) for principal and interest only: 15-year mortgage at 5.78%: $5,324.91 per month. 30-year mortgage at 6.41%: $4,007.43 per month.
On a $40,000 salary, you could potentially afford a house worth between $100,000 to $140,000, depending on your specific financial situation and local market conditions. While this may limit your options in many urban areas, there are still markets where homeownership is achievable at this income level.
If you want to have a minimalist lifestyle, 36k/year is more then enough. If you want a home, family, car, insurance and some "toys", it's not going to be enough, at least in a majority of places in the U.S. But again, the term "decent" is pretty objective. Can you be content? Depends on your expectations.
To afford a $700,000 house, you typically need an annual income between $175,000 to $235,000, depending on your financial situation, down payment, credit score, and current market conditions. However, this is a general range, and your specific circumstances will determine the exact income required.
The bottom line
A mortgage payment on a $700,000 loan with a 20% down payment for qualified borrowers could cost between $3,517.51 per month and $4,683.35 for principal and interest. And if buyers wait, they could see substantial savings later in the year.