Every affordability calculator answers the same question: given your income, is this risky? This turns that around. For 62 real costs, it asks what income would make each one safe, and for the ones you pay once, how long the median worker has to work to cover it.
It is computed from 802 real prices and one published model, applied identically to all of them. That combination is the only reason this dataset can exist: pricing data and affordability models rarely live in the same place.
What income makes it safe: 37 recurring and financed costs
A monthly bill or a loan payment competes with your income every month, so “what do you need to earn” is a real question with a real answer. Two columns: elevated is the income at which the cost drops to 20% of gross, and comfortable is where it drops to 10%.
| Cost | Per month | Income to clear elevated | Income to be comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant$400,000 financed | $5,395 | $323,725 | $647,450 |
| Early retirement spending$5,000/mo | $5,000 | $300,000 | $600,000 |
| Nanny$3,500/mo | $3,500 | $210,000 | $420,000 |
| MBA tuition$3,500/mo | $3,500 | $210,000 | $420,000 |
| College tuition$2,500/mo | $2,500 | $150,000 | $300,000 |
| New house$410,000 financed | $2,117 | $126,991 | $253,981 |
| Condo$350,000 financed | $2,096 | $125,742 | $251,484 |
| Semi-truck$120,000 financed | $2,093 | $125,561 | $251,122 |
| Food truck$100,000 financed | $1,912 | $114,739 | $229,479 |
| Apartment rent$1,763/mo | $1,763 | $105,780 | $211,560 |
| Living on my own$1,500/mo | $1,500 | $90,000 | $180,000 |
| Daycare$1,500/mo | $1,500 | $90,000 | $180,000 |
| Mobile home$125,000 financed | $1,012 | $60,732 | $121,463 |
| New car$50,000 financed | $891 | $53,463 | $106,926 |
| Truck$50,000 financed | $811 | $48,669 | $97,338 |
| Pool$75,000 financed | $794 | $47,653 | $95,305 |
| Electric car$50,000 financed | $767 | $46,032 | $92,065 |
| Therapy$700/mo | $700 | $42,000 | $84,000 |
| Coffee cart$25,000 financed | $691 | $41,441 | $82,881 |
| Boat$45,000 financed | $560 | $33,593 | $67,187 |
| Twins$550/mo | $550 | $33,000 | $66,000 |
| Used car$25,000 financed | $506 | $30,372 | $60,744 |
| Horse$400/mo | $400 | $24,000 | $48,000 |
| Personal loan$15,000 financed | $399 | $23,922 | $47,844 |
| Franchise$35,000 financed | $378 | $22,669 | $45,338 |
| Solar panels$25,000 financed | $376 | $22,556 | $45,111 |
| RV$45,000 financed | $375 | $22,526 | $45,053 |
| Kids$350/mo | $350 | $21,000 | $42,000 |
| Second child$280/mo | $280 | $16,800 | $33,600 |
| Baby$250/mo | $250 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| Motorcycle$10,000 financed | $222 | $13,310 | $26,620 |
| Jet ski$10,000 financed | $176 | $10,587 | $21,174 |
| Hot tub$8,000 financed | $162 | $9,719 | $19,438 |
| Storage unit$150/mo | $150 | $9,000 | $18,000 |
| Dog$100/mo | $100 | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Gym membership$50/mo | $50 | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Cat$45/mo | $45 | $2,700 | $5,400 |
How long you work for it: 25 one-time costs
These are reported differently, on purpose. A wedding is not a monthly obligation, so asking what income makes it safe gives a misleading answer - our own model weighs a one-time cost against 3 months of budget, which inverts into figures in the hundreds of thousands and tells you nothing useful. Months of gross pay is the honest question, measured against real BLS median earnings: $59,800 for ages 25 to 34 and $72,020 for ages 35 to 44. Before tax, so real time worked is longer.
| Cost | Price | Work, ages 25 to 34 | Work, ages 35 to 44 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destination wedding | $40,000 | 8.0 months | 6.7 months |
| Hip replacement | $40,000 | 8.0 months | 6.7 months |
| Wedding | $35,000 | 7.0 months | 5.8 months |
| Garage | $30,000 | 6.0 months | 5.0 months |
| Kitchen remodel | $25,000 | 5.0 months | 4.2 months |
| IVF treatment | $20,000 | 4.0 months | 3.3 months |
| Outdoor kitchen | $15,000 | 3.0 months | 2.5 months |
| Coding bootcamp | $15,000 | 3.0 months | 2.5 months |
| Divorce | $10,000 | 2.0 months | 1.7 months |
| Bathroom remodel | $10,000 | 2.0 months | 1.7 months |
| New windows | $10,000 | 2.0 months | 1.7 months |
| New roof | $9,500 | 1.9 months | 1.6 months |
| Funeral | $8,500 | 1.7 months | 1.4 months |
| New HVAC system | $8,000 | 1.6 months | 1.3 months |
| Deck | $8,000 | 1.6 months | 1.3 months |
| Engagement ring | $6,000 | 1.2 months | 30 days |
| Braces | $6,000 | 1.2 months | 30 days |
| Foundation repair | $6,000 | 1.2 months | 30 days |
| Honeymoon | $5,500 | 1.1 months | 27 days |
| Landscaping | $5,000 | 1.0 months | 25 days |
| Relocation | $5,000 | 1.0 months | 25 days |
| Vacation | $3,500 | 21 days | 17 days |
| Legal fees | $3,000 | 18 days | 15 days |
| Cruise | $2,000 | 12 days | 10 days |
| Root canal | $1,200 | 7 days | 6 days |
How these were calculated
Recurring costs use the price as the monthly figure. Financed costs are amortized at each category's own default rate, term and down payment. The income columns solve the site's own ratio for income instead of for risk - the whole formula, every threshold and the source behind every price is on How we calculate risk.
Four assumptions, stated because they change the numbers:
- Good credit. A 670-739 score, which leaves the ratio unadjusted. Weaker credit raises every income figure here by up to 35%; excellent credit lowers it by 15%.
- No existing debt. Any payment you already carry comes out of the same income, so real thresholds are higher.
- Gross income, not take-home.
- National prices. Every price is a national reference figure, not a local quote. A house costs very different money in two states.
These are reference figures for comparison, not advice and not a quote. The point of running 62 costs through one model is that the rows are comparable with each other, which is exactly what you cannot do with numbers gathered from 62 different sources.
Use this
Free to reuse, including commercially, with attribution to Can I Afford It and a link back to this page. No permission needed. If you need a cut of the data that is not here, or the same calculation across all 802 categories, ask and you will get it.
Download the full dataset (CSV) · Questions or corrections: contact@caniafford.it