You can generally afford a home between $180,000 to $250,000 (perhaps nearly $300,000) on a $50K salary. But your specific home buying budget will depend on your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and the size of your down payment. As an example, if you make $50K, have less than $200 in monthly debt payments, and have $7,300 down — you can afford a $234,800 home with a 30-year fixed-rate loan at 3.75 percent.