Salary Target

What Salary Do You Need to Afford a $950,000 House?

Find the exact base salary target you need to hit to comfortably afford a $950,000 property. Here is the pure math breakdown based on today's rates.

Income & Debts

$
$

Loan & Down Payment

$
%

Ongoing Housing Costs

%
$
$

Lending Assumptions

%
%

Affordability Estimate

You can afford a home around

$950,000

Based on your current income, debt, and housing cost assumptions.

Comfortable target$950K
Stretch maximumup to $1,045K

Monthly Housing Budget

$6,000

Comfortable

This appears to be within a comfortable borrowing range.

Estimated Loan Amount

$760,000

Estimated Cash Needed (Down + Closing)

$218,000

Estimates based on your inputs. Actual results may vary. Terms →

Calculation Breakdown

  • Estimated Principal & Interest$4,950
  • Estimated Property Taxes$950
  • Estimated Homeowner's Insurance$100
  • Estimated HOA$0
  • Estimated PMI$0
  • Front-End Ratio Used27.19%
  • Back-End Ratio Used29.45%

Save this scenario

Keep track of multiple affordability setups.

Frequently asked questions

The Math of the 28% Threshold

Housing math relies heavily on the 28% front-end rule. To afford the ~$6,200/mo PITI payment on a 20% down $950k loan, $6,200 must equal exactly 28% of your gross monthly pay. That sets the firm salary floor at ~$265k/yr.

Taxes vs Benchmarks

A base salary of $265k yields a much smaller take-home pay after taxes. The 28% math is a pre-tax guideline, meaning it aggressively allocates a large portion of your actual post-tax liquid cash to housing.

Closing Cost Preparation

Hitting the salary target is half the battle. Your target liquid cash needed upfront for a $950k home at 20% down ($190,000) will also include roughly 3% in closing costs—so be prepared to fund nearly $218,500 total.

Estimates based on your inputs. Actual results may vary. Terms →