What you can realistically offer
A price range with San Diego's actual carrying costs built in — property tax, Mello-Roos, insurance, HOA — rather than a national estimate that assumes none of them.
This calculator runs entirely in your browser. There is no server, no account, no tracking of what you enter, and nothing is sent to me. Close the tab and it's gone. If you want me to look at your actual numbers, that's a phone call — not a form.
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| Approach | Price | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable 36% of income to all debt |
— | — |
| Typical approval 43% — a common conventional ceiling |
— | — |
| Stretched 50% — possible, and it will be felt |
— | — |
A lender will look at your credit score, your employment history, how your income is documented, your reserves, and the property itself. Any of those can move this number in either direction. Get a pre-approval before you shop — it's the number that counts, sellers ask for it, and it costs you nothing. This tool is for working out whether the conversation is worth having yet.
Assumptions
- Debt-to-income measured on gross income, the way a lender does it.
- No mortgage insurance. Under 20% down, PMI reduces every figure here.
- Assessed value taken as purchase price.
- Closing costs and reserves are not deducted from your down payment — budget roughly 2–3% of price on top for closing.
- Nothing here accounts for what you actually want your life to cost. The "comfortable" row exists because the "typical approval" row is a ceiling, not a target.
It is built for planning and comparison, not for closing. Real figures depend on your lender, your parcel, your insurer and your escrow. Only a lender can tell you what you can borrow. Verify against your actual tax bill, your lender's Loan Estimate, and your escrow's settlement statement before you rely on any of it.
A note on the stretched row
I've included it because pretending it doesn't exist would be dishonest — people do buy at that level, and sometimes it's the right call: income about to rise, a short stretch before a bonus, a family situation that makes it worth it.
But the number a lender will approve and the number you should spend are different numbers, and only one of them has to live in the house with you. If the home you want is only reachable in that bottom row, that's worth a conversation before you write an offer, not after. I'd rather talk you into a smaller house than watch you sell in two years.