Calculator · Orange County
What can you buy in Orange County?
Your income and your down payment, at today's 7.24% rate, stretched to the most a conventional lender can approve. The map shows where that price actually closes deals, city by city.
Moving income sets the down payment to 20% of what you can afford. Once you set the down payment yourself it stays put until you reset it.
- Loan
- $1,000,800
- Payment, all in
- $8,332/mo
- Share of income
Where $1,251,000 buys a condo
At $1,251,000, a condo is likely in 32 of the 33 cities with enough condo sales and possible in 1 more. Raising the down payment moves the line faster than raising income does.
How we got here, and what you can change
Payment cap: 50% of gross income. That is the highest debt-to-income ratio Fannie Mae's automated underwriting will approve on a conventional loan, and only with strong compensating factors such as good credit and cash reserves. Many approvals land at 43% to 45%, and most jumbo lenders stop there. Car payments, student loans and credit cards count against the same cap, so the other-debts slider matters.
Rate: Freddie Mac 30-year fixed weekly average for the week of October 29, 2026, refreshed every week. Property tax is on the purchase price (California reassesses at sale); communities with Mello-Roos special taxes run higher. Mortgage insurance for down payments under 20% is not included.
This is the ceiling, not a quote. Want the real number?
Katherine can connect you with a lender who will run your actual credit, debts and reserves, usually within a day. No cost, no obligation.
What an income buys in Orange County right now
Computed from this week's rate and the last twelve months of closed sales, with 20% down and no other debts.
- $150,000 a year qualifies for about $938,000 with $187,600 down and a payment near $6,247 a month. A condo is likely in 30 of 33 cities, a house in 6 of 38.
- $200,000 a year qualifies for about $1,251,000 with $250,200 down and a payment near $8,332 a month. A condo is likely in 32 of 33 cities, a house in 21 of 38.
- $250,000 a year qualifies for about $1,563,000 with $312,600 down and a payment near $10,410 a month. A condo is likely in 33 of 33 cities, a house in 30 of 38.
- $350,000 a year qualifies for about $2,189,000 with $437,800 down and a payment near $14,579 a month. A condo is likely in 33 of 33 cities, a house in 35 of 38.
The easiest condo markets today are Seal Beach (a quarter of condos closed under $305,000), Laguna Woods (a quarter of condos closed under $330,000), Santa Ana (a quarter of condos closed under $400,000), La Habra (a quarter of condos closed under $501,000) and Fullerton (a quarter of condos closed under $510,000). At the other end, Newport Beach ($3,350,000), Laguna Beach ($2,499,000) and Villa Park ($2,253,250) are where even the cheaper quarter of houses starts above most budgets. Countywide, half of all homes closed under $1,215,000 and a quarter under $850,000; for condos alone the median was $770,000.
Two things move the number more than anything else. A larger down payment raises the price you qualify for dollar for dollar and shrinks the interest share of the payment, which is why the down-payment slider moves the map faster than the income slider. And each quarter-point on the mortgage rate is worth a few percent of purchase price, so the same income buys noticeably more when rates ease. For the income needed at each city's median, see how much income you need to buy in each Orange County city; for what a fixed budget buys, see what $1 million buys city by city. The market page has the longer story: appreciation, rents, rules and true monthly costs.
Questions buyers ask
What debt-to-income ratio do lenders allow?
Lenders compare your total monthly debt payments, housing included, with your gross monthly income. For a conventional loan, Fannie Mae's automated underwriting will approve a ratio as high as 50% when the file has compensating factors such as strong credit and cash reserves; many approvals land between 43% and 45%, and most jumbo lenders stop there. This calculator uses the 50% ceiling by default so the number you see is the most a lender could say yes to, not the most you would be comfortable paying. You can lower the cap in the assumptions.
Do I need 20% down?
No. Conventional loans go as low as 3% down for first-time buyers and FHA loans 3.5%, though FHA limits are below most Orange County prices. Under 20% down you will usually pay mortgage insurance, which the calculator does not add; a larger down payment also lets you qualify for more because less of the payment is interest. Set your actual down payment and the price updates around it.
What counts as a jumbo loan in Orange County?
For 2026 the conforming limit for a one-unit home in Orange County is $1,249,125. A loan above that is a jumbo loan, and jumbo lenders typically want a bigger down payment, more reserves, and a lower debt-to-income ratio, often 43% to 45%. The calculator labels your result conforming or jumbo so you know which rules apply.
How is property tax figured?
California reassesses a home to its purchase price when it sells, so your tax is based on what you pay, not what the seller was paying. The base rate is 1% plus voter-approved bonds, about 1.1% in most of Orange County; newer master-planned communities add Mello-Roos special taxes on top. Expect a one-time supplemental bill after closing for the difference between the old assessment and yours.
What do the map colors mean?
Each city is colored by where your maximum price lands against that city's closed sales of the chosen home type over the last twelve months. Green means your price is at or above the 25th percentile, so at least a quarter of homes sold for less: a purchase is likely. Yellow means above the 10th percentile: possible, with patience. Orange means above the 1st percentile: a stretch, the rare deal. Red means almost nothing sold at your price. Gray cities had fewer than 20 sales of that type, too few to judge.
Is this a pre-approval?
No. It is an estimate for planning, built from published rates and real closed sales. A lender's actual limit depends on your credit score, reserves, debts, the loan program, and the property itself. Katherine can connect you with a lender who will run the real numbers, usually within a day, at no cost.
Method and limits
- Maximum price is the price at which principal and interest on a 30-year fixed loan, property tax at 1.1% of the price, insurance at 0.35% and any HOA dues, plus your other monthly debts, equal the payment cap (50% of gross monthly income by default). With the down payment following income it is 20% of the price; a down payment you set is held fixed and the price solved around it. Closing costs, reserves and mortgage insurance are not included.
- Rate is Freddie Mac's weekly 30-year fixed average for the week of October 29, 2026, via FRED series MORTGAGE30US, the same figure shown in the header on every page.
- City prices are closed sales for the twelve months ending October 29, 2026 (60,216 Orange County closings in all, CRMLS via Seven Gables Real Estate), split into houses and condos (condos include townhomes). The 1st, 10th and 25th percentiles are computed from each city's own sales; cities with fewer than 20 sales of a type are left gray. MLS neighborhood names are folded into their cities (Anaheim Hills into Anaheim; Corona del Mar and Newport Coast into Newport Beach).
- Conforming limit is the FHFA one-unit limit for Orange County for 2026, $1,249,125; it is updated each January.
An estimate for planning, not a loan offer or pre-approval. Your lender's limit depends on credit score, reserves, debts, loan program and the property. Katherine Brough, Seven Gables Real Estate, DRE #02180028. Equal Housing Opportunity.