TrueAffordMortgage Calculator
A mortgage calculator with nothing to sell you
Every other mortgage calculator online is owned by a company that makes money when you apply for a loan. This one isn't selling leads, so there's no incentive to show you a bigger number than you can actually afford.
Your result
Comfortable — up to $273,568
A lender would likely approve up to
$343,214
You can actually sustain up to
$472,357
Your budget can support at least as much as a lender's generous debt-to-income ceiling — the DTI limit isn't what's holding you back here.
Monthly cost at $273,568
- Principal & interest
- $1,535
- Property tax
- $515
- Homeowner's insurance
- $125
- PMI (drops at month 82)
- $64
- HOA dues
- $0
- Lender-counted payment (P&I + tax + insurance + PMI + HOA)
- $2,240
- Maintenance reserve (1%/yr) ?
- $228
- True monthly cost
- $2,468
Left over each month after this payment, other debts, and real-life expenses
$2,032
What's driving this
- Your $1,300/mo in childcare, healthcare, groceries, and other real-life expenses doesn't affect what a lender will approve, but it directly reduces what's left over each month.
- New Jersey property tax at 2.26% is costing you roughly $288/mo more than the national average would suggest.
- Private mortgage insurance is costing you $64/mo because your down payment is under 20%. An additional $14,714 down would eliminate it.
What would change this ?
Interest rate ±1 point
$291,466 · $273,568 · $259,106
Max affordable price a point lower, at today's rate, and a point higher.
If income dropped 20%
Comfortable → Risky
At $6,400/mo gross, holding this home price constant.
If adding a child
Comfortable → Comfortable
Assumes +$1,200/mo in childcare, a national-average illustrative figure.
With $20,000 more down
$2,468 → $2,272/mo
PMI: $64 → $0/mo
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a bank's mortgage calculator?
A bank's calculator shows what you'd qualify for. This one shows that number too, but sits it next to what your household can actually sustain once real monthly expenses are accounted for — the two are often different, and the gap matters.
Does the payment include taxes and insurance?
Yes — principal, interest, property tax (state-specific, not a national average), homeowner's insurance, PMI when your down payment is under 20%, HOA dues if you have them, and a maintenance reserve. Every line is broken out separately and editable.
Can I share my results with someone?
Yes — every input you change updates the page's URL automatically. Copy the link at the bottom of the results and send it to anyone; it opens to the exact same numbers, computed fresh, not a screenshot.
What credit score assumptions does this use?
Pick your credit band and the calculator applies a realistic default interest rate and PMI cost for that tier, both documented on the methodology page. You can override the interest rate directly if you have a specific quote.
Is a mortgage affordability calculator the same as a home loan affordability calculator?
Yes — 'mortgage affordability calculator' and 'home loan affordability calculator' describe the same thing: working out the monthly payment and the price a home loan supports. This one adds the state-specific tax and insurance data, and the lender-approval-vs-sustainable comparison, that most versions of this tool leave out.
Related: Home affordability calculator · Rent vs. buy calculator · Methodology