How much house can you afford on a $75k salary? Form MC-10
$75,000 a year is $6,250 a month gross. The 28% rule caps housing at $1,750; the 36% rule allows $1,900 after $350 in monthly debts. The lower one wins: $1,750 a month. At the prefilled 7.03% rate that approves $239,685 with $45,000 down — seeded below.
Tool № 10 · Monday, September 28, 2026 · free, always
On $75k, the rate quote matters more than the down payment.
Input slip · Form MC-10
Two tabs, one ledger. Affordability solves your income backwards into a max purchase price; Monthly payment prices a specific house down to the dollar. Everything recalculates as you type, and everything stays in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.
Prefilled at the Freddie Mac 30-year average for the week of Sept 24, 2026 — replace it with your actual quote.
Set to 6.5% for the worked example below (the Freddie Mac 30-year average for the week of Sept 24, 2026 was 7.03%) — replace it with your actual quote.
Posted entry · Form MC-10-R
More doors into the same ledger Form MC-10
Every angle on the mortgage, same arithmetic underneath:
- The main mortgage calculatorboth tabs, full ledger, bi-weekly comparison
- How Much House Can I Affordthe head-term page: income in, max price out
- Mortgage Payment Calculator$450k at 6.5%, line by line
- Afford on a $100K Salaryapproved up to $325,825
- Biweekly vs Monthly Mortgage625 payments, $108,503 saved
The $75k math, line by line Form MC-10
Housing cap: $1,750 a month — the 28% rule binds. Down payment: $45,000, which is 18.77% of the approved $239,685, so PMI applies. Loan: $194,685.12.
The monthly lines: principal and interest $1,299.17, property tax $219.71, insurance $150.00, PMI $81.12 — $1,750.00 total. Tax and insurance are the lines first-time buyers forget; they’re 21% of the payment here.
At this income the down payment is the long pole: every extra $10,000 down buys roughly $12,000 more house at these rates, because it shrinks the loan and the PMI base together.
Common questions Form MC-10
What house price does a $75k income buy?
With $350 in monthly debts, $45,000 down, and a 7.03% 30-year rate: about $239,685. Your actual rate quote moves this by thousands in either direction.
Can I buy with less than $45k down?
Yes — type a smaller down payment and the approval re-posts. Less down means a bigger loan and more PMI, so the approved price falls, but the math never requires 20%.
Why is PMI so noticeable here?
Because the loan is small next to fixed costs: $81.12 a month is nearly 5% of the payment. Typing a 20% down payment makes PMI vanish — try it and compare.
Should I wait and save a bigger down payment?
The ledger can’t answer that — it depends on rents and price growth where you live. What it can do is price both scenarios exactly, so the tradeoff is a number, not a feeling.
When does the 36% rule bind at $75k?
When monthly debts pass about $875: then 36% of $6,250 minus debts drops below $1,750 and the back-end rule takes over. A $400 car payment plus $300 in student loans gets you most of the way there.
Is this financial advice?
No. It’s amortization arithmetic on numbers you type: it doesn’t check your credit, approve loans, or know your local tax rate. A lender’s pre-approval and your own budget have the final word.