How much house can I afford at 28 on $60k income? (single)
Nina, 28, in San Antonio, TX
exampleSingle, no kids · $60k/yr household income
They're renting in San Antonio and ready to buy their first place, without becoming house-poor.
28, single, $60k/yr, with $10k in liquid savings for a down payment (plus $29k 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
$60,000/yr
Household
Single earner
Liquid savings
$10,000
Retirement savings
$29,000
Down payment
25%
Mortgage
6.5%, 30-yr fixed
Investing return
7%/yr
Wait 10 years and your $250,000 target becomes reachable
$330,000
Max home in 2036, $330,000 more than today's $0
Max Home Now
Not affordable
Max in 10yr
$330,000
Target Price
$250,000
Liquid Assets
$10,000
Your max home today is $0. By waiting 10 years, your max grows to $330,000, an additional $330,000 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 | — | — | — | $4,634,439 ($1.6M in today's dollars) | Secure | Not affordable |
| 2yr | 2028 | Keep renting | — | — | — | $4,634,439 ($1.6M in today's dollars) | Secure | $140,000 |
| 5yr | 2031 | Keep renting | — | — | — | $4,634,439 ($1.6M in today's dollars) | Secure | $245,000 |
| 10yr | 2036 | $250,000 | 25% | $1,517 | $43,801 | $5,086,899 ($1.7M in today's dollars) | Secure | $330,000 |
Home ownership involves emotional and lifestyle factors beyond financial returns, community, stability, and personal fulfillment matter too. Max home prices reflect lender approval limits; your comfort level may be different.
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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How much house can a single household earning $60k at 28 afford?
Wait 10 years and your $250,000 target becomes reachable
Max home in 2036, $330,000 more than today's $0
$330,000, 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.