How much house can I afford at 28 on $75k income? (single)
Elena, 28, in San Antonio, TX
exampleSingle, no kids · $75k/yr household income
They're renting in San Antonio and ready to buy their first place, without becoming house-poor.
28, single, $75k/yr, with $12k in liquid savings for a down payment (plus $36k in retirement, which is harder to use for one: penalties, taxes, or a loan). Most people overestimate how much house that buys. Here's the modeled number, and what changes it.
The setup
Age
28
Household income
$75,000/yr
Household
Single earner
Liquid savings
$12,000
Retirement savings
$36,000
Down payment
20–34%
Mortgage
6.5%, 30-yr fixed
Investing return
7%/yr
Wait 5 years and your $300,000 target becomes reachable
$310,000
Max home in 2031, $305,000 more than today's $5,000
Max Home Now
Not affordable
Max in 5yr
$310,000
Target Price
$300,000
Liquid Assets
$12,000
Your max home today is $5,000. By waiting 5 years, your max grows to $310,000, an additional $305,000 in buying power from savings and income growth.
| Scenario | Buy Year | Price | Down % | Monthly PITI | Cash Left | Retire NW | Retirement Feasible | Max Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Now | 2026 | Keep renting | — | — | — | $7,158,054 ($2.4M in today's dollars) | Secure | Not affordable |
| 2yr | 2028 | Keep renting | — | — | — | $7,158,054 ($2.4M in today's dollars) | Secure | $250,000 |
| 5yr | 2031 | $300,000 | 20% | $1,918 | $24,351 | $6,973,540 ($2.3M in today's dollars) | Secure | $310,000 |
| 10yr | 2036 | $300,000 | 34% | $1,652 | $89,057 | $7,317,803 ($2.5M in today's dollars) | Secure | $400,000 |
Your max price is usually limited by CASH, not by what a lender would approve. We hold back $11,196 as a 6-month reserve, and require 5% down, so that cash cannot go toward the purchase. A lender would often approve more. This scenario carries mortgage insurance of about $3/mo, which is included in the payment and drops off at 20% equity. Programs like FHA allow smaller down payments and would raise these figures, but they add premiums we do not model, so we stay deliberately conservative. Home ownership also involves lifestyle factors no spreadsheet captures.
Your real number depends on your savings, debts, and city. The averages above are a starting point. Model your exact situation and get your verdict.
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Get my verdict →Frequently asked
How much house can a single household earning $75k at 28 afford?
Wait 5 years and your $300,000 target becomes reachable
Max home in 2031, $305,000 more than today's $5,000
$310,000, modeled with Rightmont's projection engine for this exact scenario.
How was this calculated?
Rightmont runs your numbers through a year-by-year projection engine (taxes, compounding, Social Security, and your real cashflow) to model the outcome. Model your own version free in under a minute.
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For educational purposes only, not financial advice.