Principal and interest
Repayment of the balance plus the lender's charge for the money. At a given rate and term, every dollar here supports a fixed multiple of loan, which is why the other costs matter so much.
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Property tax and insurance through escrow
Many lenders collect taxes and insurance with each monthly payment and keep the money in an escrow account (the term impound account is used in some areas). The servicer pays the bills from it. Tax bills and premiums can be revised each year, so the escrow amount, and the total payment, can move with them.
HOA dues
Fees and special assessments from a homeowners, condominium or cooperative association are counted as mortgage-related obligations in the federal ability-to-repay rule, so they belong inside the ratio.
Mortgage insurance
A conventional loan with less than 20 percent down may require private mortgage insurance. The monthly premium appears in the Projected Payments section of the Loan Estimate and the Closing Disclosure. It protects the lender, not you.
Conforming or jumbo
For 2026, the conforming loan limit for a one-unit home is $832,750 in most of the United States, with a ceiling of $1,249,125 in high-cost areas. Loans above the limit for your county are called jumbo loans. If the loan amount in your result sits near the limit, check your county's figure in the agency's list.
Put it together
Type each cost into the calculator as an annual or monthly amount. The price in the result already has all of them taken out.