I made just under $90K last year, expect to make between $90 and $100K this year and will break the six figure mark next year. For a long time I thought this was the kind of money you really needed to make to be able to realistically afford buying a modest home (at least in the metro NYC area). However, all of the "affordability calculators" out there are telling me I can afford much more home than I;m willing to believe. My vehicle is paid for. I have 0 credit card debt. My student loans are paid off. Yet, I can;t seem to justify being able to afford even a $200K home. After including property taxes, insurance and so on, the monthly expenses seem to come out to MORE than half of my monthly take home pay. How on Earth can so many people afford homeownership? Seems to me you can;t COMFORTABLY afford a home that costs much more than what you would make in 12-18 months. Forget 2-3X annual salary.