How much is 20% down on a $400,000 house?

20% of $400,000 is $80,000. It buys you out of private mortgage insurance entirely. The monthly payment at 7% on a 30-year loan is $2,129 in principal and interest, about $440 less per month than the 3.5%-down payment, but the cash at closing is roughly $92,000 including closing costs.

Down Payment Calculator · filed Oct 9, 2026

How much down payment on a $400,000 house?

Q: How much down payment on a $400,000 house?

At 10% down on a $400,000 home you post $40,000 and borrow $360,000. At 7% on a 30-year conventional loan that is $2,395 a month in principal and interest, about $156 a month in PMI, and roughly $52,000 in total cash at closing. Minimums run lower: 3.5% down ($14,000) on an FHA loan, 3% ($12,000) on a conventional first-time-buyer program.

Four standard down payments on a $400,000 home, posted line by line. The rate and terms are held fixed — 7% on a 30-year conventional loan, 1.1% property tax, $1,800 a year in homeowner insurance — so the only thing moving between rows is the check you write. The Down Payment Calculator runs the same comparison at any price.

The four standard checks on $400,000
Down	Check	P&I	PMI	Monthly	Cash at close
3.5%	$14,000	$2,568.07	$289.50	$3,374.23	$26,000
5%	$20,000	$2,528.15	$228.00	$3,272.82	$32,000
10%	$40,000	$2,395.09	$156.00	$3,067.76	$52,000
20%	$80,000	$2,128.97	—	$2,645.63	$92,000

Monthly includes property tax, insurance, and PMI. Cash at close is the down payment plus 3% closing costs. PMI is a planning estimate by loan-to-value band; your lender quotes by credit score.

Reading the four rows

3.5% — the FHA check ($14,000)

The smallest check that still buys a house: $14,000 down, about $26,000 in total cash at closing. The carrying charge is steep — $289.50 a month in PMI on a conventional loan at this loan-to-value — and it stays on the books until month 148, over 12 years. On an FHA loan the equivalent is 3.5% down with the 1.75% upfront MIP financed and $177 a month in MIP that never drops under 10% down.

5% — the stretch check ($20,000)

Another $6,000 at closing buys down the PMI to $228 a month and shaves about $100 off the monthly payment. The insurance drops off in month 142. This is the row for buyers who can nearly reach 10% and want to see what the last few thousand buy.

10% — the median check ($40,000)

Close to what the typical first-time buyer actually puts down. PMI falls to $156 a month and drops off in month 115 — 9 years 7 months — the first row where the insurance schedule starts looking short. Total interest over the life of the loan: $502,232, about $92,000 less than the 20%-down row’s $446,428 costs you in waiting. Cash at closing: about $52,000.

20% — the insurance-free check ($80,000)

No PMI, the lowest monthly payment ($2,645.63), and $92,000 less in lifetime interest than the 3.5% row. The price of all that is a $92,000 cash requirement at closing — $40,000 more than the 10% row. The question this row forces is the real one: what does the wait cost? At $1,500 a month saved, the gap between the 3.5% and 20% checks takes 44 months to close.

The total-interest column nobody shows

Total interest, 3.5% down$538,504

Total interest, 5% down$530,134

Total interest, 10% down$502,232

Total interest, 20% down$446,428

The gap between the smallest and largest check is $92,076 in interest over 30 years — real money, but it is bought with $66,000 more cash on day one and years of renting while you save it. Whether the trade wins depends on your rent, your market’s price growth, and how long you will keep the home.