Start from your income and your monthly debts, not from listing photos. This calculator works backward from what you earn to a price range, so you know which Bellingham neighborhoods to look at before you fall for a house. Prices here are high for the region: the metro’s median listing price was $645,000 in September 2026, though buyers had 1,004 active listings to choose from, up 9.4% from a year earlier.1
How Much Home Can I Afford?
Uses common lending guidelines: housing costs up to 28% of gross monthly income (front-end) and total debts up to 36% (back-end).
Estimated maximum home price
$0.00
- Total monthly payment$0.00
- Principal & interest$0.00
- Property tax$0.00
- Home insurance$0.00
- HOA dues$0.00
- PMI$0.00
- Loan amount$0.00
- Front-end ratio (housing / income)0.0%
- Back-end ratio (all debts / income)0.0%
Estimates only. Talk to a lender for exact numbers.
Lenders look closely at your debt-to-income ratio (DTI): all your monthly debt payments, including the new house payment, divided by your gross monthly income. Each lender and loan type sets its own limit.3 The result here is a starting point. A lender's pre-approval is the number that counts when you make an offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is debt-to-income ratio?
Your total monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. $2,000 in monthly debts on $6,000 of monthly income is a 33% DTI.3
Do I need 20% down?
No. A conventional loan with less than 20% down usually requires PMI, which raises the payment, and other loan types such as FHA allow smaller down payments.2 Putting 20% down removes PMI on a conventional loan and can get you a lower rate.2
Why does the rate change my budget so much?
The rate sets how much of each payment goes to interest. On a $516,000 30-year loan, dropping from 7.40% to 6.40% cuts principal and interest from about $3,573 to $3,228 a month, so a rate quote is worth getting before you set a price range.
Sources (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Realtor.com Residential Data, Bellingham WA metro, September 2026: median listing price $645,000; 1,004 active listings (+9.4% YoY).
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is private mortgage insurance?
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is a debt-to-income ratio?