How much home loan can you realistically afford?

Loan eligibility calculators tell you what a bank will lend. They don't tell you what you should borrow. Those are two different numbers, and the gap between them is where a lot of financial stress comes from.

Start with the 40% rule

A common, sensible guideline: keep all your EMIs (home loan plus any existing loans) under about 40% of your monthly take-home income. Banks often approve up to 50-60% — that doesn't mean it's comfortable to live with for 15-20 years.

Account for the full cost, not just the EMI

• • Down payment — usually 10-20% of the property price, needed upfront in cash.
• • Stamp duty and registration — typically 5-7% of property value in Karnataka.
• • Interiors, moving costs and a maintenance deposit — often ₹3-8 lakhs for a mid-range flat, frequently underestimated.
• • An emergency fund left over after the down payment — don't drain every rupee of savings into the purchase.

A simple sanity check

If a comfortable EMI plus your existing expenses still lets you save something every month, you're likely in a safe zone. If the EMI alone would consume most of your monthly surplus, consider a smaller loan, a longer tenure, or waiting to save a larger down payment.

Use the EMI calculator on any MatchMyGhar property page to see your real monthly outgo for that specific price — and always get a written pre-approval before you start seriously house-hunting.