“How much house can I afford?” sounds like a math question. In practice, it is a comfort question, a cash-flow question, and a priorities question—all at once.
Most quick calculators answer with one large number. That can be useful, but it can also hide the assumptions underneath it. I built Home Budget to make those assumptions visible and adjustable, so the result feels more like a planning conversation than a verdict.
Start with your real life
The calculator begins with the inputs that shape a household’s buying range: annual income, down payment, and existing monthly debt. It also lets you set two comfort thresholds—how much of gross income may go to housing, and how much may go to housing plus debt.
That distinction matters. A home can fit one guideline and still strain another. Showing both limits makes it easier to see which constraint is actually determining the estimate.
See the monthly picture, not just the price
The result is more than a purchase price. Home Budget breaks the monthly estimate into the costs that make ownership real: principal and interest, property taxes, home insurance, HOA or condo fees, mortgage insurance, and a maintenance reserve.
Built to encourage better questions
The most useful part is the ability to adjust the numbers and immediately see how the estimate changes. What happens with a larger down payment? How much room does an existing car payment take away? Does a lower housing threshold create a monthly budget that feels more comfortable?
Those are better questions than chasing the highest possible approval amount. They help connect a future home to the rest of a person’s financial life.
Try Home Budget
This is an early version, and I plan to keep learning from how people use it. If you are curious about your own numbers—or simply want to see how the assumptions work—open the calculator and experiment.
Explore the Home Budget calculator
Home Budget provides illustrative planning estimates only. It is not financial advice, a loan offer, or a substitute for guidance from a qualified lender or financial professional.