Borrowing power
$528,861 to $581,992 on $100,000, depending on the lender.
That is what ten big lenders’ own calculators said on 23 August 2026 for one person earning $100,000, with no other debts, no HECS and no kids, buying a home to live in with a 20% deposit. The middle figure was $534,783. The same ten lenders are $53,131 apart on the same person. So there is no single answer to “how much can I borrow”. The useful question is which lender says yes, and at what rate.
The lowest, middle and highest figure from 10 lenders for a single applicant. A home to live in, 20% deposit, no debts, no kids.
| Income | Lowest lender | Middle | Highest lender | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $66,000 | $305,127 | $352,353 | $367,523 | $62,396 |
| $75,000 | $367,726 | $391,172 | $433,606 | $65,880 |
| $80,000 | $402,503 | $425,577 | $435,139 | $32,636 |
| $88,000 | $443,595 | $449,481 | $493,880 | $50,285 |
| $100,000 | $528,861 | $534,783 | $581,992 | $53,131 |
| $108,000 | $540,067 | $585,939 | $595,711 | $55,644 |
| $130,000 | $688,933 | $697,368 | $754,243 | $65,310 |
| $148,000 | $764,579 | $773,267 | $833,555 | $68,976 |
| $160,000 | $839,283 | $847,889 | $868,804 | $29,521 |
| $183,000 | $933,370 | $944,843 | $990,442 | $57,072 |
| $200,000 | $1,006,325 | $1,017,652 | $1,093,778 | $87,453 |
| $220,000 | $1,084,797 | $1,098,907 | $1,175,597 | $90,800 |
| $250,000 | $1,245,999 | $1,261,252 | $1,347,284 | $101,285 |
These are the incomes we priced, so they are not all round numbers. Each figure is the most that lender said it would lend, to the dollar.
The lowest, middle and highest figure from 10 lenders for a couple, with the income split about 55/45. A home to live in, 20% deposit, no debts, no kids.
| Income | Lowest lender | Middle | Highest lender | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $86,000 | $366,176 | $375,560 | $417,776 | $51,600 |
| $104,000 | $497,539 | $509,398 | $559,662 | $62,123 |
| $120,000 | $564,902 | $573,784 | $629,039 | $64,137 |
| $134,000 | $630,780 | $669,487 | $688,735 | $57,955 |
| $151,000 | $738,344 | $747,329 | $813,559 | $75,215 |
| $162,000 | $779,770 | $822,663 | $850,467 | $70,697 |
| $185,000 | $926,094 | $938,869 | $989,439 | $63,345 |
| $205,000 | $1,040,390 | $1,051,636 | $1,136,292 | $95,902 |
| $230,000 | $1,183,164 | $1,196,070 | $1,287,165 | $104,001 |
| $250,000 | $1,215,387 | $1,228,878 | $1,319,559 | $104,172 |
| $290,000 | $1,508,576 | $1,527,297 | $1,643,949 | $135,373 |
| $332,000 | $1,770,947 | $1,792,335 | $1,827,785 | $56,838 |
| $360,000 | $1,855,326 | $1,875,192 | $2,005,304 | $149,978 |
These are the incomes we priced, so they are not all round numbers. Each figure is the most that lender said it would lend, to the dollar.
The lowest income we priced where the middle lender would lend the full amount, and how many of the ten would.
| Loan | One income | Lenders who’d lend it | Two incomes | Lenders who’d lend it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $80,000 | 10 of 10 | $100,000 | 10 of 10 |
| $500,000 | $100,000 | 10 of 10 | $104,000 | 9 of 10 |
| $600,000 | $130,000 | 10 of 10 | $134,000 | 10 of 10 |
| $700,000 | $132,000 | 10 of 10 | $151,000 | 10 of 10 |
| $800,000 | $160,000 | 10 of 10 | $162,000 | 7 of 10 |
| $1 million | $200,000 | 10 of 10 | $205,000 | 10 of 10 |
| $1.2 million | $250,000 | 10 of 10 | $250,000 | 10 of 10 |
| $1.5 million | $308,000 | 7 of 10 | $290,000 | 10 of 10 |
Read this as a floor. The real cut-off sits somewhere below the figure shown, because we only priced some incomes. What those loans cost a month is on the repayments pages.
A credit card limit
Lenders count the limit, not what you owe. On $100,000, a $10,000 limit you never use takes about $41,000 off what you can borrow.
A car loan
$500 a month in repayments on the same income means about $55,000 less loan. Paying it off before you apply is often the biggest single thing you can do.
Living costs
Every lender sets a floor for your household. Spending $500 a month above it means about $55,000 less. HECS and kids work the same way. They are costs that come before the loan.
These three come from our borrowing power calculator (6.2%, a 3-point test buffer, 30 years), so you can check the sums. The tables above are the lenders’ own figures.
Everything above is the income limit. Your deposit sets a second one. With a 5% deposit, the loan cannot be more than 95% of the price, whatever you earn. A $50,000 deposit caps you at a $1,000,000 home and a $950,000 loan. And above 80% you pay LMI and usually a higher rate. The rate monitor shows what that higher rate costs.
Between $528,861 and $581,992, depending on the lender. The middle figure is $534,783. That is what ten big lenders' own calculators said on 23 August 2026 for one person earning $100,000 with no other debts, no HECS and no kids, buying a home to live in with a 20% deposit. The lenders are $53,131 apart on the same person. So the question is which lender, not whether.
Between $367,726 and $433,606 across the same ten lenders. The middle figure is $391,172. A car loan, a credit card limit or a child changes this more than a pay rise does. See what changes the number, below.
About $100,000 on one income, or $104,000 between two, with no other debts and no kids. That is the lowest income we priced where the middle lender would lend $500,000. At that income, 10 of 10 lenders would lend it to one person and 9 of 10 to a couple.
Each lender has its own calculator. It sets its own living cost floor for your household, its own test rate above the loan rate, and its own rules for card limits and HECS. On $148,000 the ten big lenders went from $764,579 to $833,555. Across all 33 lenders on the panel it was $705,750 to $869,173. A broker's job is to know which lender suits you.
No. The figures above are what your income supports. Your deposit sets a second limit. With a 5% deposit, the loan cannot be more than 95% of the price, whatever you earn. And above 80% you pay LMI and usually a higher rate. The lower of the two limits is the one that counts.
No. It is what each lender's calculator said for one example household. Approval depends on the rest of your file: your real spending, your debts, your deposit, the property and your credit history. A lender assesses it, and a licensed broker submits it.
Priced 23 August 2026, re-run with the panel. Each figure is the most a lender’s own calculator said it would lend to one example household: variable, principal and interest, 30 years, a home to live in at 80% LVR, living costs declared at $1,000 a month so each lender uses its own floor, no other debts, no HECS, no kids. The ten lenders are CommBank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ, Macquarie, Bankwest, St.George, ING, Suncorp Bank, Firstmac. They are a guide, not an assessment of you, and a different household gets a different answer. Arthr Pty Ltd provides marketing and lead-generation services only; credit assistance is provided by 1st Street Pty Ltd, Credit Representative 490057 under Australian Credit Licence 389328.
A broker at 1st Street runs the same lender calculators on your real income, debts and deposit, and tells you which ones say yes.