How much house can I afford on a $50,000 salary? (2024)

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MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money

By Joshua Rodriguez

Edited By Angelica Leicht

/ CBS News

How much house can I afford on a $50,000 salary? (2)

If you're in the market for a new home, the price of the home is an important consideration. After all, you don't want to enter into a mortgage only to find out that you can't comfortably afford your payments. So, how much house can you afford?

It's common to use your salary to get a rough determination of how much house you can afford. So, what if you earn $50,000 per year? What's a reasonable price to look for as you shop for your new home? Well, that answer depends on a few factors.

Find out the mortgage rates you may qualify for now.

How much house can I afford on a $50,000 salary?

There are two general rules of thumb to help you determine how much house you can afford based on your salary. Those rules include:

The 2.5 times your income rule

The rule of 2.5 times your income stipulates that you shouldn't purchase a house that costs more than two and a half times your annual income. So, if you have a $50,000 annual salary, you should be able to afford a $125,000 home.

Explore what your mortgage payment might be with today's rates.

The 28% of your income rule

The 28% of your income rule suggests that you shouldn't spend any more than 28% of your income on mortgage payments. If you earn $50,000 per year, you earn about $4,166.67 per month. At 28% of your income, your mortgage payment should be no more than $1,166.67 per month.

Considering a 20% down payment, a 6.89% mortgage rate and a 30-year term, that's about what you can expect to pay on a $185,900 home. If you only put 5% down and had a 6.89% mortgage rate and a 30-year term, you could likely afford a $159,300 home.

(TheBankratecalculator used to determine the monthly payments above accounts for private mortgage insurance (PMI), property taxes and basic homeowners insurance, which can vary based on numerous factors. Payments were based on values for the 32446 ZIP code.)

Other costs to consider when you purchase a home

There are other potential costs to consider when you purchase a home as well, including:

  • Homeowners association (HOA) fees: If you purchase a home in a neighborhood with a homeowners association, you can expect to pay HOA fees. These fees can easily cost hundreds of dollars per month.
  • Private mortgage insurance (PMI): If you purchase a home with less than 20% down, you may have to pay for PMI. If so, the cost could be hundreds of dollars per month.

How much home you can afford is unique to you

Both rules can help you get a general idea of how much home you can afford. However, rules of thumb are too general to be applied to every financial situation. After all, your budget is just as unique as the home you can comfortably afford to buy with it.

For example, say you earn $50,000 per year but you have significant credit card debtand other debt. In that case, you may not be able to comfortably afford a mortgage payment that's over $1,000 per month. On the other hand, if you earn $50,000 per year, your car is paid off and you don't have any other debts, you may be able to comfortably afford a more expensive home.

The mortgage provider also plays a role

You may be able to comfortably afford a $185,000 home, but if the mortgage company isn't willing to extend the loan amount necessary to purchase that home, you won't be able to buy it. Ultimately, the mortgage lender you use to buy the house will determine the maximum they're willing to allow you to borrow. Some factors that play a role in this decision include:

  • Your credit score: Lenders are typically more willing to lend large sums of money to those with competitive credit scores.
  • Your debt-to-income ratio: If you have a high debt-to-income ratio, you may not be approved for the mortgage amount you think you can afford to pay back.
  • Your assets: The more assets you have, the less risk you pose to mortgage companies. So, borrowers with more assets may be able to access higher loan amounts.
  • Type of loan: The loan type also plays a role. For example, conventional mortgages have higher borrowing limits thanFHA loans, which allows borrowers to access more money with a conventional loan.

The bottom line

The amount of home you can afford on a $50,000 salary, or any other salary for that matter, is unique to you. It depends on several factors, like your down payment, your credit score and your debt-to-income ratio, as well as other factors that might influence the loan values and rates available to you. Learn more about your mortgage loan options now.

Joshua Rodriguez

Joshua Rodriguez is a personal finance and investing writer with a passion for his craft. When he's not working, he enjoys time with his wife, two kids and two dogs.

How much house can I afford on a $50,000 salary? (2024)

FAQs

How much house can I afford on a $50,000 salary? ›

A simple way to estimate affordability is to multiply your annual income by 2.5. With a $50,000 salary, this rule suggests that you can afford a home worth up to $125,000. This is a general guideline that doesn't account for your specific financial situation or location.

How much house can I buy with a 50k salary? ›

If you earn $50,000 per year, you earn about $4,166.67 per month. At 28% of your income, your mortgage payment should be no more than $1,166.67 per month. Considering a 20% down payment, a 6.89% mortgage rate and a 30-year term, that's about what you can expect to pay on a $185,900 home.

How much income to afford a 1 million dollar house? ›

What annual salary do you need to afford a million-dollar house? To comfortably afford a home valued at $1 million, financial experts recommend an annual salary between $269,000 and $366,000.

Can I afford a 300K house on a 60k salary? ›

An individual earning $60,000 a year may buy a home worth ranging from $180,000 to over $300,000. That's because your wage isn't the only factor that affects your house purchase budget. Your credit score, existing debts, mortgage rates, and a variety of other considerations must all be taken into account.

Can you live off 50k a year? ›

For many people, $50,000 is enough income to live comfortably, although your location and lifestyle are important factors. In coastal cities, that money doesn't go as far, but there are certainly households in New York City that live on one or two Social Security incomes amounting to less than $50,000.

How much income do I need for a 300K mortgage? ›

With a 5% down payment and an interest rate of 7.158% (the average at the time of writing), you will want to earn at least $6,644 per month – $79,728 per year – to buy a $300,000 house. This is based on an estimated monthly mortgage payment of $2,392.

What income do you need for a 200k mortgage? ›

What income is required for a 200k mortgage? To be approved for a $200,000 mortgage with a minimum down payment of 3.5 percent, you will need an approximate income of $62,000 annually.

What income do you need for an $800000 mortgage? ›

Ideally, you should make $208,000 or more a year to comfortably manage an $800,000 home purchase, based on the commonly used 28 percent rule (which states that you shouldn't spend more than 28 percent of your income on housing).

How much do I need to make to afford a 900K house? ›

Assuming a 20 percent down payment and a 30-year fixed mortgage with a rate of 6.8 percent, the monthly principal and interest payments on a $900K house would come to $4,693. And applying the 28 percent rule, 28 percent of the monthly income on your $200K annual salary would come to $4,666.

How much do I need to make to afford a 750K house? ›

Income to afford a $750K house

That equates to a monthly income of $14,400, with 28 percent of that amounting to $4,032. So $4,032 is the maximum you should spend on monthly housing costs, including principal, interest, property taxes, insurance premiums and any HOA fees.

What is $60,000 a year hourly? ›

A $60,000 annual salary is equivalent to earning a $28.85 hourly wage, or $230.80 each day. This is based on the employee working for eight hours a day, 52 weeks a year.

Is $60,000 a good salary for a single person? ›

To live comfortably on your own in these states, you'd need to earn nearly double what most single earners typically make, as the U.S median income for single, full-time workers is around $60,000, per Labor Bureau data.

What credit score is needed to buy a house? ›

A good credit score to buy a house is one that helps you secure the best mortgage rate and loan terms for the mortgage you're applying for. You'll typically need a credit score of 620 to finance a home purchase. However, some lenders may offer mortgage loans to borrowers with scores as low as 500.

Is 50K a year considered poor? ›

50k annually is about 50% higher than minimum wage in California. It's a poverty wage, close to half the wage of full time working adults. Some people may find it comfortable but that is really a personal choice.

What is 50K a year hourly? ›

$50,000 a year is how much an hour? If you make $50,000 a year, your hourly salary would be $24.04.

Is 50K a year middle class for a single person? ›

By the Census data, it means that if you earn between $50,000 and $150,000 a year, you are considered middle class. It's a pretty straightforward answer, but it isn't particularly helpful if you're trying to climb up out of a lower income bracket into the middle class.

What credit score is needed to buy a $300K house? ›

What credit score is needed to buy a $300K house? The required credit score to buy a $300K house typically ranges from 580 to 720 or higher, depending on the type of loan. For an FHA loan, the minimum credit score is usually around 580.

How much do you need to make to buy a 250k house? ›

If you follow the 2.5 times your income rule, you divide the cost of the home by 2.5 to determine how much money you need to earn annually to afford it. Based on this rule, you would need to earn $100,000 per year to comfortably purchase a $250,000 home.

How much do you need to make to afford a 400K mortgage? ›

Based on current mortgage rates, you might be able to afford a $400K house with around an $80,000 income if you don't have other debt.

What car can I afford with a 50k salary? ›

If you make a $50,000 gross salary, after taxes (depending on where you live) your monthly take-home pay is roughly $3,230. Based on the 10% rule, you could afford, at most, a $323 monthly car payment. If you take out a 60 month (5 year) auto loan at 8% interest, you can afford a $17,000 car.

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