How much house could you afford in Germany?
A property budget depends on two separate checks: the mortgage payment must fit your monthly income, and your available cash must cover the deposit, buying costs and the reserve you want to keep. This calculator keeps both parts separate so you can see which factor limits a proposed purchase.
The result is a household‑budget scenario, not a borrowing offer. Lenders perform their own assessment of income, commitments and the property.
Start with the amount left each month
The calculator subtracts living expenses, existing debt payments, ownership costs and your chosen monthly buffer from net income. Any positive remainder becomes the modelled mortgage‑payment capacity.
Example: €5,000 net income minus €2,000 living expenses, €250 debt payments, €500 ownership costs and a €500 buffer leaves €1,750. The calculator converts this payment into a loan amount using your assessment rate and full repayment term.
Use the costs you expect after moving. Remove rent if it will end, but include any overlap period. Convert annual expenses to monthly amounts and avoid double‑counting.
Gross income and net income have different roles
Net income determines repayment capacity. Gross income is used only for the debt‑to‑income (DTI) indicator: total mortgage borrowing plus other debt, divided by annual gross income.
Example: €300,000 mortgage plus €20,000 other debt against €80,000 gross income gives 4.00×. The editable 6× default is a comparison marker, not a statutory limit. Exceeding it triggers a warning but does not change the calculated loan amount.
Allow for Kaufnebenkosten before counting your deposit
The model subtracts your emergency reserve and buying costs from savings. What remains is the usable deposit for the property price. With €120,000 saved, €20,000 retained and €40,000 in buying costs, the usable deposit is €60,000.
Enter property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) and the total for notary, land‑register, broker and other costs as euro amounts. The calculator does not select a federal state or update costs automatically when the target price changes.
If savings do not cover costs and the reserve, usable deposit is shown as zero. The headline price estimate may still show a positive figure based on monthly income, so also check the cash shortfall for the target property.
Include the running costs of a German home
Budget for property tax, building insurance, maintenance and any Hausgeld. For apartments, check which expenses are already included in the Hausgeld to avoid double‑counting. Utilities and other household spending should be included in the appropriate part of your budget.
The emergency reserve is money kept at purchase. The monthly buffer is room kept each month. Both serve different purposes and are included separately.
The stress rate is a scenario, not a bank rule
The assessment rate is your entered loan rate plus the chosen buffer. A 3.5% rate with a two‑point buffer gives a 5.5% assessment rate. Borrowing capacity is calculated at that higher rate. The main monthly‑remainder figures use the original rate; the scenario table shows remainders at alternative rates.
All repayment calculations assume full repayment over the selected term at a constant rate. The calculator does not model a shorter German Sollzinsbindung or a later rate reset.
Check a specific property before relying on the budget
The target loan equals the target price minus your target deposit. The cash requirement adds buying costs and the retained reserve. For a €500,000 property with €100,000 deposit, €40,000 costs and €20,000 reserve, you need €160,000 cash and a €400,000 loan. Savings of €120,000 leave a €40,000 gap.
The adjustment section shows separate ways to explore a mismatch. Additional deposit reduces the loan; the monthly‑commitment figure shows the payment gap; the gross‑income figure relates only to the chosen DTI marker. These checks are independent and not a combined recommendation.
LTV here uses the modelled purchase price. A lender’s valuation and requirements may differ. The calculator does not impose lender‑specific minimum deposits or maximum LTVs.
Use the Germany mortgage calculator to compare repayments and the Germany down‑payment calculator to plan a savings target.