≈ $90,000 down
Ongoing housing costs
Estimated total
$2,395/mo
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By Alex Diaz · How we calculate this
A duplex works a little differently than a typical home purchase because the other unit doubles as an income source. Lenders financing an owner-occupied duplex will often count a portion of that unit's projected rent toward your mortgage qualification, sometimes enough to make a similarly priced duplex more attainable on paper than a single-family house. This calculator turns the duplex's price, down payment, interest rate, and loan term into a monthly payment, then weighs that against your income to gauge how risky the purchase would be.
These key factors affect duplex affordability
Income and expenses
A duplex payment still has to compete with everything else already in your budget, so we weigh it against your income and any other debt you've logged rather than judging the property in isolation.
Credit score
Multi-family loans are underwritten similarly to a standard mortgage when you're planning to live in one unit, but a lower credit score still has an outsized effect on your rate and terms, and on some programs, how much of the other unit's rent a lender is willing to count toward qualifying at all.
Rental income from the other unit
If you'll live in one unit and rent the other, that income can meaningfully offset the mortgage. Most conventional and FHA lenders will count a portion of the projected rent, commonly around 75%, toward qualifying, which builds some vacancy cushion into the math from the start. Even so, it's worth using a conservative rent estimate of your own and planning for stretches when the unit sits empty, rather than assuming it rents the day you close.
Down payment and loan term
Owner-occupied duplexes generally qualify for the same low-down-payment programs as a single-family home: as little as 3.5% down through FHA, or as low as 0% for eligible veterans through a VA loan, both well below what a pure investment property would require. FHA does apply a stricter rental self-sufficiency test to 3- and 4-unit purchases, but a 2-unit duplex isn't held to that same bar.
Landlord responsibilities
Being a landlord to your other unit's tenant, even part-time and living just a wall away, comes with maintenance calls, vacancy periods, and occasional repairs that a single-family homeowner doesn't have to plan for.
How to use your results
Try adjusting the inputs to see what actually moves your risk score:
- Down payment - see how putting more down lowers your monthly payment and risk score.
- Rental income - model a conservative rent estimate rather than best-case occupancy.
- Existing debt - add any car payments, student loans, or credit cards you're carrying.
Ways to increase how much duplex you can afford
- Pay down existing debt to improve your debt-to-income ratio before applying for a mortgage.
- Ask your lender how much projected rental income they'll count toward qualifying.
- Save for a larger down payment to borrow less and potentially avoid mortgage insurance.
- Budget for vacancy and repairs on the rented unit rather than assuming rent covers the payment every month.
More housing calculators
Peer comparison data
Bureau of Labor Statistics (median income by age), Experian (credit score by age)
Used by the “how you compare” figures in the sidebar, not by the costs on this page.
Every figure on this site, with its source and the date it was last verified
How you compare
Income
Credit score
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