Borrowing power
How much can I borrowon my salary?
$508,774 to $568,865 on $100,000, depending on the lender.
That is what nine big lenders’ own calculators said on 10 November 2026 for one person earning $100,000, with no other debts, no HECS and no kids, buying a home to live in with a 20% deposit. The middle figure was $522,171. The same nine lenders are $60,091 apart on the same person. So there is no single answer to “how much can I borrow”. The useful question is which lender says yes, and at what rate.
- $100k, single
- $509k–$569k
- $151k, couple
- $712k–$795k
- Lenders priced
- 9
- Priced
- 10 November 2026
By salary
The salaries people ask about most, each with every lender’s figure, the same pay by the month, and what a couple on the same total borrows.
One income: what each salary borrows
The lowest, middle and highest figure from 9 lenders for a single applicant. A home to live in, 20% deposit, no debts, no kids.
| Income | Lowest lender | Middle | Highest lender | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $66,000 | $296,551 | $344,111 | $359,233 | $62,682 |
| $75,000 | $357,521 | $382,491 | $423,826 | $66,305 |
| $80,000 | $391,393 | $416,159 | $425,325 | $33,932 |
| $88,000 | $425,801 | $439,369 | $482,741 | $56,940 |
| $100,000 | $508,774 | $522,171 | $568,865 | $60,091 |
| $108,000 | $528,391 | $574,035 | $582,709 | $54,318 |
| $130,000 | $666,491 | $681,271 | $737,231 | $70,740 |
| $148,000 | $733,599 | $756,063 | $814,753 | $81,154 |
| $160,000 | $806,785 | $828,924 | $849,208 | $42,423 |
| $183,000 | $902,046 | $922,946 | $968,102 | $66,056 |
| $200,000 | $969,945 | $995,808 | $1,069,108 | $99,163 |
| $220,000 | $1,046,281 | $1,073,145 | $1,149,081 | $102,800 |
| $250,000 | $1,202,771 | $1,231,685 | $1,316,896 | $114,125 |
These are the incomes we priced, so they are not all round numbers. Each figure is the most that lender said it would lend, to the dollar.
Two incomes: what each salary borrows
The lowest, middle and highest figure from 9 lenders for a couple, with the income split about 55/45. A home to live in, 20% deposit, no debts, no kids.
| Income | Lowest lender | Middle | Highest lender | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $86,000 | $353,522 | $363,390 | $408,353 | $54,831 |
| $104,000 | $481,520 | $493,805 | $547,038 | $65,518 |
| $120,000 | $548,949 | $559,495 | $614,850 | $65,901 |
| $134,000 | $617,110 | $653,281 | $673,200 | $56,090 |
| $151,000 | $711,687 | $731,080 | $795,209 | $83,522 |
| $162,000 | $765,093 | $804,338 | $831,284 | $66,191 |
| $185,000 | $899,044 | $915,742 | $967,122 | $68,078 |
| $205,000 | $1,004,924 | $1,027,280 | $1,110,662 | $105,738 |
| $230,000 | $1,144,249 | $1,168,348 | $1,258,133 | $113,884 |
| $250,000 | $1,175,693 | $1,201,642 | $1,289,796 | $114,103 |
| $290,000 | $1,463,510 | $1,494,102 | $1,606,869 | $143,359 |
| $332,000 | $1,719,111 | $1,752,821 | $1,786,558 | $67,447 |
| $360,000 | $1,787,612 | $1,831,364 | $1,960,073 | $172,461 |
These are the incomes we priced, so they are not all round numbers. Each figure is the most that lender said it would lend, to the dollar.
What income do I need for a loan?
The lowest income we priced where the middle lender would lend the full amount, and how many of the ten would.
| Loan | One income | Lenders who’d lend it | Two incomes | Lenders who’d lend it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $80,000 | 7 of 9 | $100,000 | 9 of 9 |
| $500,000 | $100,000 | 9 of 9 | $109,000 | 6 of 9 |
| $600,000 | $130,000 | 9 of 9 | $134,000 | 9 of 9 |
| $700,000 | $148,000 | 9 of 9 | $151,000 | 9 of 9 |
| $800,000 | $160,000 | 9 of 9 | $162,000 | 6 of 9 |
| $1 million | $208,000 | 9 of 9 | $205,000 | 9 of 9 |
| $1.2 million | $250,000 | 9 of 9 | $250,000 | 5 of 9 |
| $1.5 million | $320,000 | 9 of 9 | $310,000 | 9 of 9 |
Read this as a floor. The real cut-off sits somewhere below the figure shown, because we only priced some incomes. What those loans cost a month is on the repayments pages.
What changes this number
A credit card limit
Lenders count the limit, not what you owe. On $100,000, a $10,000 limit you never use takes about $40,000 off what you can borrow.
A car loan
$500 a month in repayments on the same income means about $53,000 less loan. Paying it off before you apply is often the biggest single thing you can do.
Living costs
Every lender sets a floor for your household. Spending $500 a month above it means about $53,000 less. HECS and kids work the same way. They are costs that come before the loan.
These three come from our borrowing power calculator (6.5%, a 3-point test buffer, 30 years), so you can check the sums. The tables above are the lenders’ own figures.
The deposit sets the other limit
Everything above is the income limit. Your deposit sets a second one. With a 5% deposit, the loan cannot be more than 95% of the price, whatever you earn. A $50,000 deposit caps you at a $1,000,000 home and a $950,000 loan. And above 80% you pay LMI and usually a higher rate. The rate monitor shows what that higher rate costs.
Questions
How much can I borrow on a $100,000 salary?
Between $508,774 and $568,865, depending on the lender. The middle figure is $522,171. That is what nine big lenders' own calculators said on 10 November 2026 for one person earning $100,000 with no other debts, no HECS and no kids, buying a home to live in with a 20% deposit. The lenders are $60,091 apart on the same person. So the question is which lender, not whether.
How much can I borrow on a $75,000 salary?
Between $357,521 and $423,826 across the same nine lenders. The middle figure is $382,491. A car loan, a credit card limit or a child changes this more than a pay rise does. See what changes the number, below.
What income do I need for a $500,000 mortgage?
About $100,000 on one income, or $109,000 between two, with no other debts and no kids. That is the lowest income we priced where the middle lender would lend $500,000. At that income, 9 of 9 lenders would lend it to one person and 6 of 9 to a couple.
Why do lenders give different answers for the same income?
Each lender has its own calculator. It sets its own living cost floor for your household, its own test rate above the loan rate, and its own rules for card limits and HECS. On $148,000 the nine big lenders went from $733,599 to $814,753. Across all 31 lenders on the panel it was $682,794 to $848,045. A broker's job is to know which lender suits you.
Does a bigger deposit let me borrow more?
No. The figures above are what your income supports. Your deposit sets a second limit. With a 5% deposit, the loan cannot be more than 95% of the price, whatever you earn. And above 80% you pay LMI and usually a higher rate. The lower of the two limits is the one that counts.
Is this what I would be approved for?
No. It is what each lender's calculator said for one example household. Approval depends on the rest of your file: your real spending, your debts, your deposit, the property and your credit history. A lender assesses it, and a licensed broker submits it.
Priced 10 November 2026, re-run with the panel. Each figure is the most a lender’s own calculator said it would lend to one example household: variable, principal and interest, 30 years, a home to live in at 80% LVR, living costs declared at $1,000 a month so each lender uses its own floor, no other debts, no HECS, no kids. The nine lenders are CommBank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ, Macquarie, Bankwest, St.George, ING, Firstmac. They are a guide, not an assessment of you, and a different household gets a different answer.
Want your own number?
A broker at 1st Street runs the same lender calculators on your real income, debts and deposit, and tells you which ones say yes.
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Mortgage broking through Arthr is provided by 1st Street Pty Ltd trading as 1st Street Financial, Credit Representative 490057 under Australian Credit Licence 389328. Arthr Pty Ltd (ABN 39 697 205 486), co-owned by Graeme Pillemer and 1st Street's CEO Jeremy Fisher, provides the website and technology and does not provide credit assistance.