Property reality tools
Income Needed
What household income does this property actually require?
This works backwards. It takes the repayment, the property running costs and the living costs you enter, then estimates the gross household income needed to cover them after tax, Medicare and any study loan. It is not a borrowing capacity calculator and says nothing about what a lender would approve.
Household income needed
$126,096
Gross household income, before tax, that covers the mortgage, property costs and your living costs with nothing left over.
Including your savings target
$143,743
Adds the $1,000 a month you said you want to keep saving.
With a spending buffer
$159,062
Adds a 10% buffer on top for the months that do not go to plan.
A $850k property with this household needs roughly $126k of gross household income to break even, or about $144k to keep saving as well.
What the income has to cover
$8,681 / mo
Mortgage, property running costs and living costs each month.
The property
Change any figure. Everything above updates as you type.
›Show property running costsHide detail
The household
Living costs start from indicative defaults for a household of this shape. They are a starting point, not a measurement of what anyone spends.
›Show every living cost categoryHide detail
Where the money goes each month
The figures the income requirement is built from.
| Mortgage repayment | $4,121 |
| Council rates | $183 |
| Water and service charges | $92 |
| Insurance | $158 |
| Maintenance allowance | $567 |
| Essentials | $2,630 |
| Commitments | $250 |
| Lifestyle | $680 |
| Take-home pay required each month | $8,681 |
Split at 60/40, that is roughly $75,658 and $50,438 gross each.
If rates move
The same household, the same property, at different interest rates. Income figures include your savings target.
| Rate | Repayment / month | Household income needed |
|---|---|---|
| 5.10% | $3,692 | $136,178 |
| 5.60% | $3,904 | $139,913 |
| 6.10% | $4,121 | $143,743 |
| 6.60% | $4,343 | $147,663 |
| 7.10% | $4,570 | $151,667 |
| 8.10% | $5,037 | $159,913 |
How the income split changes the answer
Two people earning the same household total pay different amounts of tax depending on how it is split.
This is a general information tool. It is an estimate based on the figures you enter and published rules, and it is not financial, credit, tax or legal advice. It does not assess your borrowing capacity, does not consider your personal circumstances and is not an offer of finance. Tax figures are estimates that exclude offsets, deductions and the Medicare levy surcharge. Verify every figure with your lender, conveyancer and a licensed adviser before making a decision.
Rules and sources
- Resident individual income tax rates 2025-26 — effective 2025-07-01 · Australian Taxation Office
- Medicare levy 2025-26 — effective 2025-07-01 · Australian Taxation Office
- HELP repayment rates 2025-26 (marginal) — effective 2025-07-01 · Australian Taxation Office
- Super guarantee 2025-26 — effective 2025-07-01 · Australian Taxation Office
- Living cost categories are indicative platform defaults, not measured household spending. Edit them to match your own.
- Rule set e32bc0e4-57515c3d-c6524a49-e2e8f3af