1. Income & Basics
2. Current Debts
3. Lifestyle & Savings
Illustrative DTI Reference (Monthly)
Reference Home Price: $310,000
Your Cash-Flow Housing Budget
Estimated Home Price: $310,000
Visual Comparison
Scenario Comparison
Enter your own spending and savings assumptions to compare the two reference budgets.
Budget Difference: $0
The DTI reference uses 36% of gross monthly income minus the debts you enter as an illustration only; it is not a lender approval limit. The cash-flow budget subtracts entered debts, spending, and savings from take-home pay. Home-price estimates assume 20% down, a 30-year term, 1.2% annual property tax, and 0.5% annual homeowners insurance.
How to interpret this calculator
This tool deliberately compares two different concepts. The first is a 36% total-debt reference based on gross income. The second is a cash-flow budget based on the take-home pay, debts, spending, and savings target you enter.
The 36% figure is a planning reference, not a universal underwriting limit or a recommendation. Mortgage programs and automated underwriting systems use different rules, while household affordability also depends on expenses that do not appear in DTI.
Important assumptions
- Home-price estimates assume 20% down and a 30-year fixed-rate loan.
- Property tax is modeled at 1.2% annually and homeowners insurance at 0.5% annually.
- The tool does not automatically add HOA dues, PMI, maintenance, closing costs, or property-specific insurance adjustments to the home-price conversion.
- The spending presets are examples only. Replace them with your actual monthly numbers.
For lender-style debt calculations, use the DTI calculator. For our methodology and limitations, see Calculator Methodology.