Here's How Much You Should Be Earning to Buy a Home

One of the main things that stops people from owning a home is affordability, according to a Gallup poll. But perhaps you feel financially ready now and that you're in a good position to buy a home. Let's see if that's true.

HSH, a mortgage resource website, recently churned out some estimates of how much you should be earning in order to buy a median-priced home in 25 cities. The calculations were based on how much the monthly principal and interest payments will cost with the standard 20 percent down payment and 28 percent "front-end" debt ratios:

  1. San Francisco: $115,510
  2. San Diego: $81,570
  3. Los Angeles: $72,127
  4. New York City: $66,167
  5. Boston: $63,673
  6. Washington DC: $62,810
  7. Seattle: $59,130
  8. Denver: $48,123
  9. Portland: $45,873
  10. Miami: $43,919
  11. Sacramento: $42,832
  12. Baltimore: $41,155
  13. Philadelphia: $36,836
  14. Minneapolis: $33,800
  15. Phoenix: $32,812
  16. Chicago: $32,389
  17. Houston: $31,299
  18. Dallas: $29,751
  19. San Antonio: $29,305
  20. Orlando: $28,298
  21. Tampa: $24,651
  22. Atlanta: $24,391
  23. St. Louis: $22,398
  24. Cincinnati: $22,227
  25. Cleveland: $19,435

Don't be discouraged if your salary is far from what's listed. Renting isn't always a bad option; in fact, it's an even better one for certain people. You can invest the money you would've spent on miscellaneous homeownership costs, such as maintenance or property tax, for a potentially great return.