How Much Does a $300,000 Mortgage Cost?

When shopping for a home, you’ll want to understand the costs involved in paying for it, especially those associated with your mortgage. A $300,000 mortgage comes with many costs aside from the amount you borrow — not only upfront costs but also long-term, ongoing costs. Here’s what you need to know about taking out a $300,000 mortgage.

Your monthly payment depends on several factors, including the mortgage rate. For example, if you borrow $300,000 in a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.5% interest, your monthly payment would be $1,896.20 (not including escrow costs). At 8% interest, the payment would be $2,201.29. 

The term length affects the payment, too. At the same 6.5% interest, but with 15 years of payments instead of 30, your monthly payment would be $2,613.32 — but you would pay off the loan in half the time.

A monthly mortgage payment has several components:

• Principal: This is the amount borrowed. Every month, a portion of the payment goes toward paying down the principal.
• Interest: The cost of borrowing is the interest rate. You’ll pay interest on the principal every month.
• Taxes: Some mortgage lenders will establish an escrow account for you and collect a portion of your property taxes, which they place into this account. Your mortgage lender can also send the property tax payments directly to the tax collector on your behalf.
• Insurance: If your loan requires mortgage insurance, you can pay that via your monthly mortgage payment as well. Some lenders will also collect and pay your homeowners insurance on your behalf.

See the chart below for what a monthly mortgage payment could look like if you change the annual percentage rate (APR) or choose a 15-year or 30-year mortgage. The amounts below are figured for principal and interest for a fixed-rate mortgage, which means the APR doesn’t change over the life of the loan. These amounts also don’t take into account insurance or taxes.

Before you start shopping for a home, shop for the mortgage. 

Online mortgage companies, local banks, and big-name lenders all can help you get a $300,000 mortgage. The real challenge will be choosing the right home loan among your different options.

Compare loans from a variety of lenders, because each one will offer different rates and terms. You’ll want to compare the mortgage interest rate, closing costs, fees, and discount points.

Tip:

Make sure the loans you compare have the same interest rate type (adjustable or fixed) and term length (usually 15 or 30 years). Compare the same type of loan, too, whether it’s conventional, VA, USDA, or FHA.

Once you’ve found a lender and loan you like, you can proceed with the application. The lender will review your file and ensure you qualify for your selected mortgage.

Getting a $300,000 mortgage means you’ll need to be able to afford the monthly payments plus the ongoing expenses of owning a home.

One way to determine whether you can afford a home is to consider your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), which compares your monthly gross income to your monthly debts. DTI requirements might vary from lender to lender, but you’ll typically want your ratio to be below 45%. You can calculate your DTI by dividing your regular monthly debt payments by your income.

You can also look at how much of your monthly income would go toward housing. You can estimate this expense by dividing your potential monthly mortgage payment by your gross monthly income. Figuring out how much your existing debt payments are — and how much a mortgage would contribute to them — will help you plan for homeownership. 

“It's not just about whether you can get a loan, but about securing a loan that aligns with your financial and homeownership goals,” said Chris Birk, VP of Mortgage Insight at Veterans United Home Loans.

A mortgage will have costs over and above the amount you borrow. You’ll need to plan for all of these costs to be sure you can truly afford a $300,000 mortgage.

First, there’s interest. On a $300,000 mortgage, a 6.5% interest rate over 30 years will cost you an estimated $382,633.47 in interest. Added to your $300,000 loan, that is a total outlay of $682,633.47, divided over 12 payments a year for 30 years. 

Then there are upfront costs, which you’ll pay when you first take out the mortgage. These include closing costs (typically around 2% to 5% of the home price) and your down payment. Some common closing costs include:

Appraisal fees: Lenders require an evaluation of your home to determine the value of the property.

Attorney fees: Depending on the state you’re buying in, you might be required to hire a real estate attorney to complete the purchase.

Title insurance: There are two types of title insurance — lender’s title insurance (often mandatory) and owner’s title insurance (optional). The former is designed to protect the lender against any claims made on the home and the latter protects the homebuyer.

Discount points: You have the option to pay a percentage of the loan amount (one point equals 1%) in exchange for a lower interest rate.

Survey fees: Your lender might require a survey of your property to determine the lot boundaries.

Your down payment will likely be between 3% and 20% of the loan amount ($9,000 to $60,000 on a $300,000 mortgage). Closing costs are typically about 2% to 5% of the purchase price.

There are also long-term costs you’ll need to plan for. Ongoing, long-term costs include homeowners insurance (which can change from year to year), private mortgage insurance, if applicable, homeowners association (HOA) fees, property maintenance, major appliance purchases or repairs, and upkeep of the home.

Note:

Plan to pay around 2% to 5% of your loan amount in closing costs. If you’re taking out a $300,000 loan, this means your closing costs could be between $6,000 to $15,000.

Even though your monthly payment stays the same every month with a fixed-rate mortgage, the makeup of those payments changes over time. An amortization schedule shows you what proportion of your payments each year go to principal and what goes to interest. The table below shows the monthly payment, total interest, and total principal paid each year on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for $300,000 with a 6.0% APR.

If your mortgage is 15 years instead of 30, those figures will change. The monthly payment will increase to $2,531.57, but the total interest paid will decrease. 

When you’re ready to get a mortgage, you’ll typically follow these steps:

You can use a couple of methods to calculate the affordability of a $300,000 mortgage. The FDIC says one rule of thumb to follow is to not exceed two to three times your annual income. If you use this guideline, a $300,000 mortgage would be most affordable if your income is above $100,000 to $150,000, depending on your other expenses. Keep in mind that your interest rate and term will also impact your housing costs.

Another way you can look at affordability is to see how your monthly mortgage payment would compare to your monthly income. The FDIC says many lenders prefer your housing expenses to be below 28% of your pre-tax income. You can multiply your monthly income by 0.28 to find the most affordable monthly payment. For example, if your monthly income was $6,500, you would multiply that by 0.28 to get $1,820.

It depends on your overall financial situation. A $70,000 salary would translate to roughly $5,833.33 per month. Multiply that amount by 0.28 to get $1,633.33, the amount many lenders would consider an affordable housing payment for that salary. Some lenders might allow you to exceed 28% for housing costs if you have fewer overall debt obligations or surpass their requirements in other areas. In addition, if you’re able to secure a lower interest rate or make a higher down payment, you can lower the monthly payment.

For a conventional loan, you might be required to have private mortgage insurance (PMI) if you put down less than 20%. If you make a 20% down payment, it would be $60,000. If your lender allows you to put down less, such as 5%, you’d pay $15,000.

FHA loans typically require a down payment of 3.5% (if your credit score is at least 580) or 10% (if your credit score is at least 500). If you use an FHA loan, your minimum down payment could be between $10,500 and $30,000.

Mortgage interest rates dropped dramatically at the beginning of August, hitting the lowest level in over a year. The sudden decline followed a less-than-stellar jobs report to start the month. The Federal Reserve has also indicated that a cut could be on the table in September, with more cuts possible in 2025 if inflation stays near the Fed’s 2% target. 

Unpredictable rates can make it difficult to know when to buy a home, so make sure you weigh your own financial goals heavily. Saving a larger down payment, improving your credit score, or lowering your DTI can help you get a lower interest rate but they also take time. If you’re planning to wait until 2025 to see if interest rates drop, you could take the time to improve your borrower profile. In some cases, it might be more beneficial to buy a home and start building equity right away, with the possibility of refinancing later. You’ll have to pay some closing costs when you refinance — about $5,000 on average — so make sure you can get an interest rate that’s at least a full percentage point lower. 

Monthly payments by mortgage amount

Mary Beth Eastman

Mary Beth Eastman is a Credible authority on personal finance. Her work has been featured by The Balance, Money Under 30, and more.

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