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
19–35%
Mortgage
6.5%, 30-yr fixed
Investing return
7%/yr
Wait 5 years and your $300,000 target becomes reachable
$335,000
Max home in 2031, $335,000 more than today's $0
Max Home Now
Not affordable
Max in 5yr
$335,000
Target Price
$300,000
Liquid Assets
$12,000
Your max home today is $0. By waiting 5 years, your max grows to $335,000, an additional $335,000 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 | — | — | — | $6,981,498 ($2.3M in today's dollars) | Secure | Not affordable |
| 2yr | 2028 | Keep renting | — | — | — | $6,981,498 ($2.3M in today's dollars) | Secure | $275,000 |
| 5yr | 2031 | $300,000 | 19% | $1,932 | $29,264 | $7,065,463 ($2.4M in today's dollars) | Secure | $335,000 |
| 10yr | 2036 | $300,000 | 35% | $1,641 | $89,960 | $7,367,813 ($2.5M in today's dollars) | Secure | $445,000 |
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.
Model your own version, free
Your real answer depends on your full picture. Build it in under a minute.
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, $335,000 more than today's $0
$335,000, 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.
Related scenarios
For educational purposes only, not financial advice.