How Much House Can You Afford in South Carolina? A Broker’s Honest Answer
The median South Carolina household earns about $72,400 a year (source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024). At today’s wholesale rates, that income qualifies for roughly a $250,000 home with 10% down in a typical inland metro. The median South Carolina home price is $342,900 (source: South Carolina REALTORS®, April 2026 Market Activity Report). The typical South Carolina household can afford about 73% of the typical South Carolina home — tied with Texas for the best inland affordability ratio in our state series.
The rule: in South Carolina, your max home price is about 3.5x your gross annual salary with 10% down, no other monthly debts, and today’s wholesale rates in an inland metro — the highest 10%-down multiplier in OnPoint’s entire nine-state license footprint. With 20% down and clean credit, push it to 4.1x. South Carolina earns that top spot through one of the country’s smartest property tax structures: a 4% assessment ratio for owner-occupied homes (versus 6% for second homes and rentals) drives the effective property tax rate down to roughly 0.55%. On the coast, the multiplier compresses to about 3.0x as hurricane and wind insurance loads kick in — Charleston runs $5,000/yr on average, Myrtle Beach $6,200, with separate 1-5% wind/named-storm deductibles.
What follows is the math, a salary-by-salary table for South Carolina buyers, what the national calculators miss, and how to get a number you can offer on a home with.
Quick answer: Multiply your gross annual salary by 3.5 for a realistic South Carolina max home price at 10% down in an inland metro (Greenville, Columbia, Spartanburg, Rock Hill). Stretch to 4.1x at 20% down. Drop to 3.0x if you’re buying within 30 miles of the Atlantic in Charleston, Beaufort, or Horry counties — hurricane and wind insurance alone runs $5,000-$8,000/yr on a $400K home in those ZIP codes. SC Housing’s Palmetto Heroes program offers $10,000 in forgivable DPA for teachers, nurses, first responders, EMS, military, and corrections officers — funds run out fast every year.
On This Page
- How Much House Can I Afford in South Carolina by Salary?
- How Much More House Do You Get With a Wholesale Broker Rate?
- How Do Lenders Actually Decide What You Can Afford?
- What Are the DTI Limits for Conventional, FHA, and VA Loans?
- Why Is Home Affordability Different in South Carolina?
- How Does Your Down Payment Change What You Can Afford?
- What Do National Calculators Get Wrong About South Carolina?
- What Are the Most Common South Carolina Affordability Questions?
- How Do You Get a Real Affordability Number Instead of an Estimate?
How Much House Can I Afford in South Carolina by Salary?
Assumptions: 30-year fixed at today’s wholesale conventional purchase rate (~5.75% as of May 2026, source: Mortgage News Daily), 10% down, South Carolina property tax 0.55% effective on owner-occupied homes (the 4% assessment ratio is the secret weapon), South Carolina homeowners insurance ~0.70% of home value annually inland (coastal counties run 1.5-2.5%), no HOA, no other monthly debts, 28% front-end DTI cap. Five levers move your number in South Carolina: rate, down payment, debts, HOA, and which side of the hurricane-insurance line your address sits on.
| Gross Annual Salary | Max Home Price (SC inland, 10% down) | Approximate Monthly PITI |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | ~$346,000 | $2,333 |
| $135,000 | ~$467,000 | $3,150 |
| $150,000 | ~$519,000 | $3,500 |
| $200,000 | ~$692,000 | $4,667 |
| $250,000 | ~$865,000 | $5,833 |
| $300,000 | ~$1,038,000 | $7,000 |
| $400,000 | ~$1,384,000 | $9,333 |
| $500,000 | ~$1,731,000 | $11,667 |
Two things to notice. The median South Carolina household ($72,400) qualifies for about $250,000 of home, which lands at 73% of the statewide median home price of $342,900 — reachable across Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia, Rock Hill, Florence, Aiken, and most of the Upstate and Midlands. Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Hilton Head, Bluffton, and the upmarket Myrtle Beach corridor are where the numbers stop working on median income. And the 2026 conforming loan limit in South Carolina is $832,750 for every county — no SC county is on the FHFA “high-cost” list, even Charleston and Beaufort. The full 2026 South Carolina loan limits live on the /mortgage-south-carolina/ page.
Run your exact numbers (your rate, your down payment, your county, your coastal exposure, your debts) in our South Carolina mortgage affordability calculator. It’s tuned for the SC 4%-assessment-ratio reality and the inland-vs-coastal insurance reality, not national averages.
How Much More House Do You Get With a Wholesale Broker Rate?
The table above uses OnPoint’s current wholesale conventional purchase rate of ~5.75%. The national average retail rate reported by Mortgage News Daily is 6.67%. That 0.92% gap between what a retail bank quotes and what a wholesale broker can access doesn’t sound like much, until you see what it does to your max home price.
Same monthly payment, more house:
| Gross Annual Salary | Max Home at Retail 6.67% | Max Home at Wholesale 5.75% | Extra House You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| $72,400 (SC median) | ~$232,000 | ~$250,000 | +$18,000 |
| $100,000 | ~$320,000 | ~$346,000 | +$26,000 |
| $135,000 | ~$432,000 | ~$467,000 | +$35,000 |
| $200,000 | ~$640,000 | ~$692,000 | +$52,000 |
| $300,000 | ~$961,000 | ~$1,038,000 | +$77,000 |
Or same house, lower monthly payment:
| Home Price | Monthly P&I at Retail 6.67% | Monthly P&I at Wholesale 5.75% | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| $343,000 (SC median) | $1,989 | $1,802 | $187/mo ($67,320 over 30 yr) |
| $467,000 | $2,709 | $2,453 | $256/mo ($92,160 over 30 yr) |
| $692,000 | $4,013 | $3,635 | $378/mo ($136,080 over 30 yr) |
| $1,038,000 | $6,021 | $5,453 | $568/mo ($204,480 over 30 yr) |
That’s not a marketing claim. It’s the math of the rate you’re offered. A retail bank quotes from one rate sheet: its own. A wholesale broker sends your file to 20+ wholesale lenders and brings you back the comparison. The rate that wins your file is almost always lower than the rate a single retail desk would have quoted, because wholesale lenders compete for your business in a way no retail bank ever will.
The median South Carolina household earns $72,400 and qualifies for $18,000 more home at wholesale. Or it saves $187 a month on the same home, which is $67,320 the retail borrower pays that the wholesale borrower doesn’t. That’s the cost of not comparison-shopping.
How Do Lenders Actually Decide What You Can Afford?
Two ratios. That’s the whole game.
Front-end DTI (the 28% rule). Your total housing payment (principal, interest, property tax, homeowners insurance, wind/named-storm insurance, HOA dues, and mortgage insurance) cannot exceed roughly 28% of your gross monthly income. That’s PITI. It sets your max house price. In coastal South Carolina, the wind-insurance line is where unexpected expense hides.
Back-end DTI (the 36% rule). Your total monthly debt (PITI plus car loans, student loans, credit-card minimums, child support, alimony) cannot exceed roughly 36% of your gross monthly income. This is where existing debt eats your house budget.
Each loan program sets its own DTI ceiling (the next section breaks them down). What doesn’t change across programs: when your back-end DTI is the binding constraint, every $100 of monthly debt costs you roughly $14,800 of house at today’s South Carolina inland rates. Pay down a $500/mo car payment before you shop and you unlock roughly $74,000 more house on the same income.
The 3.5x rule isn’t magic. The 28% cap times 12 months equals 3.36 annual income worth of housing payments. Subtract South Carolina’s tax-and-insurance overhead (about 1.25% of home value per year in an inland metro, before HOA) and divide by the 30-year mortgage factor at today’s ~5.75% wholesale rate, and you land at home price = 3.5x gross income. If rates climb a full point to 6.75%, the multiplier compresses to ~3.1x. With 20% down and no PMI, it stretches to 4.1x. On the coast where insurance hits 2-2.5% of home value, the same math drops to 3.0x. That’s it.
What Are the DTI Limits for Conventional, FHA, and VA Loans?
The 28/36 baseline is the textbook rule. The actual ceiling depends on which loan program is underwriting your file. Three programs cover the vast majority of South Carolina purchases, and each has a different ceiling, which means the same income produces a different max house price depending on which loan you use.
Fannie Mae (Conventional)
- Front-end DTI: Not strictly enforced. 28% is the traditional benchmark guideline.
- Back-end DTI: Normally capped at 36%, but can go up to 45% with strong credit and reserve requirements. Under Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter (DU) automated underwriting, the absolute maximum is 50% (source: Fannie Mae Selling Guide, Section B3-6-02, Debt-to-Income Ratios).
For South Carolina buyers, the DU 50% ceiling is the lever that turns a “no” into a “yes” on coastal Charleston and Hilton Head files where wind insurance stretches front-end DTI to 32%+. The stretch comes with conditions: 700+ FICO, 6-12 months of reserves, low LTV, clean housing history. Below those compensating factors, expect DU to cap you closer to 45%.
FHA (Federal Housing Administration)
- Front-end DTI: Officially set at 31%.
- Back-end DTI: Officially capped at 43%. The FHA’s TOTAL Scorecard automated underwriting approves DTIs of 50% to 57% when the borrower has strong compensating factors: high credit score, large cash reserves, residual income, or a documented history of carrying similar housing payments (source: HUD Handbook 4000.1, Section II.A.5.d, Qualifying Ratios).
FHA loans are heavily used in South Carolina’s affordable metros (Spartanburg, Columbia outer suburbs, Florence, Sumter, Anderson, Greenwood, Orangeburg) because the higher DTI ceiling stretches qualifying income on lower-priced homes. SC Housing’s First-time Homebuyer Program pairs FHA with state-level DPA, including the Palmetto Heroes $10,000 forgivable second mortgage for qualifying public-service occupations. The South Carolina FHA loan limit follows the conforming ceiling at $524,225 statewide — well above the median home price — so FHA reaches further up the price scale than most SC buyers realize.
VA (Department of Veterans Affairs)
- Front-end DTI: None. The VA does not consider or require a front-end housing ratio.
- Back-end DTI: The VA generally prefers a back-end DTI of 41%. However, DTIs of 50% and higher are routinely approved when the borrower exceeds VA’s residual income standard by 20% or more, because VA underwrites primarily to residual income (the net monthly cash left after all obligations), not to DTI (source: VA Lenders Handbook 26-7, Chapter 4, Section 4.07, Income Analysis).
South Carolina has the eighth-largest veteran population per capita in the country — over 380,000 veterans, anchored by Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Naval Health Clinic Charleston, Fort Jackson (Columbia), and Shaw Air Force Base (Sumter). VA loans require zero down payment, accept higher DTI than any other program, and don’t price-penalize jumbo loans inside VA limits. A VA-eligible buyer in South Carolina can frequently afford 15-25% more house than the same buyer using a conventional or FHA loan on the same income — especially valuable on the coast where wind-insurance loads compress conventional qualifying ratios hard.
Why Is Home Affordability Different in South Carolina?
National calculators use national averages. South Carolina isn’t an average state. Five reasons the numbers move.
Property tax is among the lowest in the country for owner-occupied homes. South Carolina assesses owner-occupied residences at 4% of fair market value — not 6% (the rate for second homes and rentals), not 100% (the rate in most states). On a $400,000 owner-occupied SC home, the assessed value is just $16,000. Apply typical local millage rates of 250-380 mills, subtract the standard Homestead Exemption, and you land at an effective property tax rate of about 0.55% — lower than every state in OnPoint’s nine-state license footprint except Colorado’s 0.49%. The catch: that 4% ratio only applies to your primary residence. Convert it to a rental or use it as a second home and your assessment ratio jumps to 6% (a 50% tax increase). File your “Legal Residence Special Assessment” with the county assessor within the first year of ownership to lock in the savings.
Homeowners insurance splits sharply by coastal exposure. The statewide average is around $2,000-$3,100/yr (16th highest in the country) — manageable. But Charleston averages $5,015/yr, Myrtle Beach averages $6,230/yr, and Beaufort/Hilton Head/Isle of Palms routinely hit $8,000-$12,000/yr. South Carolina is one of 19 states that require hurricane/named-storm deductibles that run 1-5% of Coverage A. On a $400,000 home with a 3% wind deductible, that’s $12,000 of out-of-pocket exposure per storm. Underwriters quote real SC insurance, not the national 0.35% average — and the inland-vs-coastal split is the single biggest variable in your PITI.
State income tax is moderate and declining (6.2% top, headed toward 6%). South Carolina has a graduated state income tax topping out at 6.2% on income above ~$17,500, with the state working toward a flat 6% rate. A $200,000 W-2 earner in Greenville keeps roughly $4,000-$6,000 less annually than the same earner in Texas or Florida (no state income tax), but $4,000-$6,000 MORE than the same earner in California. DTI math runs on gross income; your life runs on net. The 28% cap is the same rule everywhere — South Carolina’s take-home is comfortable enough that DU stretches at 45-50% back-end are routinely approved on otherwise-strong files.
No high-cost conforming counties. The 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750 for every South Carolina county — the FHFA doesn’t classify any SC market as “high-cost,” even Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Hilton Head, or Bluffton. That’s good news: a single conforming line statewide makes the math simpler than in California or Virginia. The flip side: at Charleston’s $578,000 median home price and Mt. Pleasant’s $700,000+ luxury market, conforming financing covers most purchases, but jumbo kicks in sharply above $832,750 with the usual rate step-up of 0.25-0.75% and tighter qualifying ratios.
The retirement and in-migration premium is real. South Carolina is one of the top three retiree-destination states in the country, alongside Florida and Arizona. Charleston, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Bluffton, and the Lake Murray area all carry an in-migration premium baked into their median home prices. The 4% owner-occupied assessment ratio combined with a generous Homestead Exemption for buyers over 65 (an extra $50,000 of fair market value exempted) makes SC mathematically attractive for retirees — which feeds further price pressure on coastal and lake-front markets.
How Does Your Down Payment Change What You Can Afford?
The same buyer hits different max prices depending on how much they put down. The reason isn’t “less to borrow.” It’s that small down payments add mortgage insurance (PMI on conventional, MIP on FHA), and that monthly premium eats your front-end DTI cap.
3% down (conventional first-time buyer, or 3.5% FHA). Best for buyers conserving cash. PMI runs $80-$200/month per $100K borrowed. PMI drops off at 20% equity on conventional; FHA MIP stays for the life of the loan unless you refinance out. Lowest down payment, lowest max house price. Both Fannie Mae HomeReady and Freddie Mac Home Possible work alongside SC Housing’s state DPA programs.
5% down. A middle path. Less PMI than 3%, still preserves cash. Common for South Carolina buyers using bank-statement programs or non-QM. This is also the tier where SC Housing’s Palmetto Heroes program stacks most cleanly. The 2026 Palmetto Heroes program offers $10,000 in forgivable down payment assistance as a 0%-interest second mortgage that’s forgiven over time, paired with SC Housing’s First-time Homebuyer Program low-fixed-rate first mortgage. Eligible occupations: teachers, nurses, law enforcement, correctional officers, firefighters, EMTs/paramedics, veterans, active-duty military, and National Guard. Funds are first-come, first-served and historically exhaust within months of the March program launch — check current availability before you build a financing plan around it.
10% down. Where the 3.5x rule lands. PMI is smaller and drops off sooner. Most South Carolina buyers without family help land here.
20% down. No PMI. Max house price climbs to ~4.1x salary — the highest multiplier in our state series. On a $400,000 SC home, that’s $80,000 in cash plus closing costs. This is where SC Housing’s standard SC Housing Homebuyer Program becomes a real lever beyond Palmetto Heroes — the underlying program offers DPA assistance for buyers not in qualifying public-service occupations, with income limits set by area, and pairs with a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) for federal tax credit benefits on annual mortgage interest paid.
The bigger point: in South Carolina, your monthly payment moves more than your max house price across these tiers. Going from 5% to 20% down on a $400,000 inland home cuts PITI by $500-$700/month. That’s not from a smaller loan alone. It’s killing PMI and shrinking principal-and-interest at the same time.
What Do National Calculators Get Wrong About South Carolina?
Run the same scenario through Zillow, NerdWallet, and our South Carolina-tuned calculator. Zillow and NerdWallet quote you a max house price 10-25% lower than what an SC lender will actually approve in an inland ZIP — and 15-30% higher than what one will approve on the coast. Three reasons.
They use 1.0% national property tax. South Carolina runs 0.55% effective on owner-occupied homes thanks to the 4% assessment ratio. National calculators don’t know about the 4% ratio — they treat SC like a generic 1.0% state. That’s $150-$300/month of phantom expense that doesn’t actually exist in your real PITI, meaning the national calculator underestimates your max house price by $30,000-$60,000 on inland SC homes.
They use 0.35% national homeowners insurance. SC inland is 0.5-0.8% of home value. SC coastal is 1.5-2.5% of home value — or higher. That’s where the coastal disconnect lives. National calculator: $150/month for insurance. SC coastal reality: $400-$1,000/month for insurance plus a separate windstorm deductible of $4,000-$12,000 per claim event.
They miss the 4% assessment legal residence filing. If you don’t file the Legal Residence Special Assessment with your county assessor in your first year, you pay the 6% rate — doubling your property tax bill. National calculators assume everyone’s paying primary-residence rates; SC’s system requires an affirmative filing. Closing attorneys usually flag this, but if you’re modeling your own affordability before pre-approval, factor in either the 0.55% effective rate (assuming you’ll file) or the 0.85% rate (if you don’t).
Worked example. Buyer at $200K SC salary, 10% down, today’s wholesale rate, Greenville inland. National calculator: about $625,000. SC-tuned inland math: about $692,000 — a $67,000 gap in your favor because the calculator overestimated your tax line. Same buyer in Charleston coastal? National calculator: about $625,000. SC coastal math: about $475,000 — a $150,000 gap against you because the calculator underestimated wind insurance. SC affordability is bimodal in a way few national tools model.
What Are the Most Common South Carolina Affordability Questions?
Can I afford a $300K house on a $60K salary in South Carolina?
Possible in inland SC. A $60K South Carolina salary at 10% down qualifies for roughly $208,000 in an inland metro. Stretching to $300K on $60K takes either 20%+ down (~$60K cash), zero other debts, top-tier credit, or a Palmetto Heroes $10K forgivable DPA stack plus an FHA loan with DU compensating factors. In the affordable SC metros (Spartanburg, Columbia outer suburbs, Florence, Sumter, Anderson, Aiken, Orangeburg, Greenwood), $300K homes still exist. With FHA at 3.5% down and a 640+ FICO using SC Housing’s First-time Homebuyer Program, the math gets workable.
What salary do you need to afford a $400,000 house in South Carolina?
About $116,000 in gross income at 10% down, today’s ~5.75% wholesale rate, no other debts, in an inland SC metro with the 4% owner-occupied assessment and 0.7% insurance. Add $400/mo of car-and-card debt and you need closer to $130K. On the coast (Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach) with 2% insurance and a windstorm load, the same $400K home requires $145K+ gross. $400K homes in inland SC live across Greenville proper, Spartanburg’s upmarket suburbs, Columbia’s northeast, Rock Hill, Fort Mill (Charlotte exurbs), and the Greenville-Spartanburg I-85 corridor. Conforming, no jumbo penalty.
How much house can I afford in South Carolina with a $200,000 salary?
About $692,000 at 10% down in an inland SC metro at today’s ~5.75% wholesale rate, SC-typical owner-occupied taxes and inland insurance. With 20% down, climb to about $815,000. On the coast with 2% insurance, the $200K salary qualifies for closer to $530,000 instead. At $692K you’re still under the $832,750 conforming limit, so the full lender pool is in play. The $200K-salary tier puts you in target range for upper Greenville (Cliffs at Glassy, Augusta Road), Mt. Pleasant entry-level, Daniel Island, Bluffton, Indian Land/Lancaster County (Charlotte exurbs), and Lake Murray/Lake Wateree waterfront.
How much do I need to make to afford a $500,000 house in South Carolina?
About $145,000 in gross income at 10% down inland, or about $123,000 at 20% down. On the coast: closer to $175K-$185K gross. $500K homes are the entry point to coastal South Carolina’s Mt. Pleasant, James Island, Daniel Island, Bluffton, and Pawleys Island markets; the upper Greenville neighborhoods (Augusta Road, Cleveland Park, Five Forks); Columbia’s Forest Acres and Lake Murray; and the Charlotte-exurb Rock Hill/Fort Mill/Indian Land corridor. Still under the $832,750 conforming loan limit, no jumbo penalty anywhere in SC.
I make $100,000 a year. How much house can I afford in South Carolina?
About $346,000 at 10% down inland. With 20% down and no other debts, push to about $410,000. If your $100K is W-2 with strong job tenure and $20K+ in reserves, some lenders will stretch back-end DTI to 45-50% and get you to $410K-$435K. The good news: $346K covers a lot of South Carolina. The median home price across Spartanburg, Columbia, Florence, Sumter, Anderson, Aiken, Rock Hill, and Greenville’s outer-ring suburbs all sit at or below that line.
Should I buy at my maximum approval amount?
No. Your maximum approval is the lender’s risk tolerance, not your life budget. The lender doesn’t price your retirement contributions, your kids’ activities, your car maintenance, your future vacations, the next hurricane evacuation, or the year your coastal wind insurance jumps 25%. Most South Carolina households should target 75-85% of the lender’s max approval. Buying at 100% of max is how new homeowners describe themselves as house-poor 18 months later — particularly on the coast, where annual wind-and-hurricane insurance renewals are the most unpredictable line item in your PITI.
How Do You Get a Real Affordability Number Instead of an Estimate?
Calculators get you in the ballpark. Two things get you a number you can offer on a home with.
Pre-approval, not pre-qualification. Pre-qualification is a 5-minute self-reported estimate. Useless. Pre-approval is a real underwriter reviewing your real W-2s, real tax returns, real credit pull, real assets, and real debts, then issuing a written letter you can submit with an offer. In a South Carolina seller’s market — Greenville, the Charleston metro, Bluffton, and the Charlotte-exurb Indian Land corridor especially — a listing agent reads your pre-approval letter before they read your offer. A pre-qualification letter gets your offer thrown out.
A wholesale broker pulls a more accurate number than a retail bank. A bank’s pre-approval reflects what that bank will lend you (one underwriting box). A wholesale broker submits your file to 20+ wholesale lenders and brings back the comparison: which lender stretches DTI hardest for your scenario, which has the best coastal jumbo pricing if you’re crossing the $832,750 conforming line in Mt. Pleasant or Hilton Head, which competes hardest for retiree income (Social Security, pension, IRA distributions) common in coastal SC, which has the deepest VA loan pricing for Joint Base Charleston and Fort Jackson veterans. The pre-approval number you carry into your house hunt should be the best of those 20, not the first one you got.
That’s what we do at OnPoint Mortgage Pro. South Carolina-licensed (alongside California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, New Hampshire, Texas, and Virginia), headquartered in Irvine, serving South Carolina buyers and homeowners across Greenville, Spartanburg, Columbia, Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Bluffton, Rock Hill, and every market in between. We don’t sell one bank’s loan. We shop your file across the wholesale market and bring you the comparison sheet. The pre-approval number that lands on your phone is the one that wins for your scenario, not the one a retail loan officer happened to pull.
Model your scenario in our South Carolina mortgage affordability calculator, then tell us what you’re trying to buy and we’ll send your file to 20+ wholesale lenders simultaneously. Or call us directly at (877) 870-0007. The comparison sheet comes back with the lowest total cost on a South Carolina loan we re-verify is still the best one all the way to funding.
Ask any South Carolina broker what your pre-approval number would be at their best 5 lenders, side by side. If they can only quote one, walk. Call us at (877) 870-0007 and we’ll show you the sheet.
See Also: Affordability in Other Licensed States
- How Much House Can You Afford in California? — CA multiplier: 3.3x at 10% down.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Texas? — TX multiplier: 2.9x at 10% down.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Florida? — FL multiplier: 3.0x inland, 2.5x coastal.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Virginia? — VA multiplier: 3.4x at 10% down with NoVA high-balance window.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Colorado? — CO multiplier: 3.3x Front Range, 2.5x WUI.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Maryland? — same analysis tuned to Maryland’s 1.0% county property tax (1.40% in Baltimore City), the highest median household income in our series, the Montgomery and Prince George’s high-balance conforming window, and Maryland Mortgage Program DPA stacks. MD multiplier: 3.4x at 10% down.
- How Much House Can You Afford in New Hampshire? — same analysis tuned to New Hampshire’s 1.85% average property tax (Carroll 1.06% to Sullivan 2.38%), no broad state income tax, the Rockingham/Strafford Boston-metro high-cost conforming window, and NH Housing’s 4% forgivable DPA. NH multiplier: 3.1x at 10% down in a typical town.
- How Much House Can You Afford in Idaho? — same analysis tuned to Idaho’s 0.43% effective property tax (tied with CO for lowest in our series), the wildfire-WUI insurance crisis, 5.3% flat state income tax, Teton County’s Jackson-Hole-spillover high-cost conforming window, and IHFA’s repayable second-mortgage DPA up to 8% of sales price. ID multiplier: 3.6x at 10% down in Treasure Valley (highest 20%-down multiplier in our series at 4.3x), 2.8x in WUI zones.
This completes the affordability breakdown for all nine states OnPoint Mortgage Pro is licensed in.
Victor Santos, NMLS #888844, is a Senior Loan Officer and licensed mortgage broker serving South Carolina buyers and homeowners. OnPoint Mortgage Pro (NMLS #2134550) is licensed in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The affordability examples on this page use representative market assumptions as of May 2026 for illustration; your actual qualifying amount depends on your specific rate, credit, down payment, debts, property location, county property-tax rate, owner-occupied assessment filing status, coastal insurance and windstorm exposure, and lender. Rates change daily. See today’s rates or call (877) 870-0007 for a current quote. Run your scenario through our South Carolina mortgage affordability calculator or contact us for a written pre-approval. Equal Housing Lender.
