We recently built the Coinscribed Home Affordability Index — a data tool that ranks 30 major US metros by the household income you'd need to afford a median-priced home under the 28% rule.
Here's the approach:
The core math
Every figure is computed from the same amortization formula used in a standard mortgage calculator, so the study and our calculator always agree. We didn't hand-pick numbers — they're all derived from stated assumptions.
The assumptions (transparent by design)
- 20% down payment
- 30-year fixed mortgage
- Property taxes and insurance layered on top
- The 28% front-end DTI rule (housing at or below 28% of gross income)
Why transparency matters
In personal finance (a YMYL space), you can't just publish numbers — you have to show your work. So every assumption is labeled, and median home prices are marked as approximate benchmarks. Nothing is fabricated; it's all reproducible.
The takeaway
Turning "can I afford a home here?" into a single comparable income number across cities makes the affordability gap between metros strikingly clear.
Originally published on Coinscribed: https://www.coinscribed.com/home-affordability-index
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