---
title: "How Much House Can I Afford? Home Price Calculator"
description: "See the home price your income and savings can carry, with real tax math, Santa Cruz property tax, the latest mortgage rate and your debt-to-income ratio."
url: https://giselesasso.com/buy/how-much-house-can-i-afford
dataAsOf: "2026-10-23"
---

# How much house can I afford?

> Move the sliders to see a home price that fits your pay, or type the price of a home you found to see what it takes.

This page is an interactive calculator. Here is its starting example.

## Example: $250,000 a year, $300,000 saved, $1,700 a month in other debts

You can comfortably buy a home around **$990,000**. You'd put 30% down. Your mortgage payment would be about $5,798 a month, on top of $1,700 in other debts.

$20,833 a month before taxes. About 36% goes to taxes, so you take home about $13,398.

| Level | Price |
| --- | --- |
| Comfortable (28% of pay) | $990,000 |
| Stretch (36% of pay) | $1,175,000 |
| Lender limit (43% of pay) | $1,360,000 |

Debt-to-income ratio: 36%. Mortgage $5,798 + other debts $1,700 a month, divided by $20,833 monthly pay before taxes.

## How this calculator works

The price is the highest one where your monthly payment stays within the level you pick and your savings cover closing costs plus the minimum down payment. Everything you've saved goes into the home.

The monthly payment is a 30-year fixed loan at the latest weekly average rate of 6.76% for an exceptional credit score (lenders charge about 0.20% more at 720 and 0.42% more at 660), plus property tax at 1.140% of the price a year, homeowners insurance estimated at 0.40% a year, and mortgage insurance at about 0.98% of the loan a year when you put down less than 20%.

Closing costs come out of your savings first, about 0.74% of the price. Conventional loans start at 5% down. A loan above $1,249,125 is a jumbo loan and usually needs 10% down, so the calculator lets you put down enough to stay under that limit when it costs less.

Taxes on your pay assume a W-2 employee filing single in California with the standard deduction: federal and state income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state disability insurance. Couples filing together usually pay less. Lenders judge your debts against pay before taxes, so taxes only change what's left to live on.

| Level | Home payment | All debts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable | 28% | 36% |
| Stretch | 36% | 43% |
| Lender limit | 43% | 50% |

Approval is never guaranteed. Jumbo lenders often stop sooner than the lender limit.

See current home prices, rents, and mortgage rates in the [Santa Cruz County real estate statistics](/santa-cruz-real-estate-statistics).

## Sources

- [Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS)](https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms), as of 2026-09-10
- [Experian, Average Mortgage Rates by Credit Score (Curinos data)](https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/average-mortgage-rates-by-credit-score), as of 2026-10-13
- [Santa Cruz County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, 2025-26 Tax Rate Book](https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/Portals/0/County/auditor/Tax_Rate_Book_2025-26.pdf), as of 2025-07-01
- [Insurance Journal, citing LendingTree State of Home Insurance 2026](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/06/18/874306.htm), as of 2026-06-18
- [Bankrate, citing the Urban Institute Housing Finance Policy Center](https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/basics-of-private-mortgage-insurance-pmi), as of 2026-08-11
- [Bankrate, citing LodeStar Software Solutions 2025 Purchase Mortgage Closing Cost Data Report](https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/average-closing-costs-by-state/), as of 2025-09-11
- [Fannie Mae, 97% Loan-to-Value Options](https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/originating-underwriting/mortgage-products/97-loan-value-options), as of 2026-10-23
- [The Mortgage Reports, Jumbo mortgage rates and requirements](https://themortgagereports.com/71020/jumbo-mortgage-rates), as of 2026-10-23
- [Federal Housing Finance Agency, 2026 conforming loan limit values](https://www.fhfa.gov/news/news-release/fhfa-announces-conforming-loan-limit-values-for-2026), as of 2026-01-01
- [Bankrate, What is the 28/36 rule?](https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/what-is-the-28-36-rule), as of 2026-08-12
- [Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-6-02 Debt-to-Income Ratios](https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b3-6-02/debt-income-ratios), as of 2026-10-23
- [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/43/), as of 2026-09-15
- [IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf), as of 2025-10-09
- [California Franchise Tax Board, Deductions](https://www.ftb.ca.gov/file/personal/deductions/index.html), as of 2025-12-31
- [Social Security Administration, 2026 COLA Fact Sheet](https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/cola/factsheets/2026.html), as of 2025-10-24
- [IRS Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc751), as of 2026-10-23
- [IRS, Questions and answers for the Additional Medicare Tax](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/questions-and-answers-for-the-additional-medicare-tax), as of 2026-10-23
- [California Employment Development Department, Rates and Withholding](https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/rates_and_withholding), as of 2026-01-01
- [Bankrate, How to start (and build) an emergency fund](https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/how-much-in-your-emergency-fund), as of 2026-06-24
- [IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (tax year 2026)](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf), as of 2025-10-09
- [California Franchise Tax Board, 2025 Form 540 Tax Rate Schedules](https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2025/2025-540-tax-rate-schedules.pdf), as of 2025-12-31

---
# Gisele Sasso — Santa Cruz Real Estate Agent

> Santa Cruz real estate agent helping families moving to Santa Cruz find the right home. On-the-ground knowledge, personal attention, and honest advice.

- **Phone:** 831-332-5624
- **Email:** gisele@giselesasso.com
- **License:** CA DRE# 02228694
- **Brokerage:** Strock Real Estate (CA DRE# 01337838)
- **Office:** 251-A Center Ave, Aptos, CA 95003
- **Website:** https://giselesasso.com