How Much Down Payment Do You Need on a House?

Saving for a house starts with one big question: How much do you really need to put down? In fact, roughly 1 in 10 home buyers say the most difficult step in the home-buying process is saving for a down payment.¹ But once you know your number, you’ll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

If you want your home to be a blessing, not a curse, you’ve got to get your down payment right. We’ll walk you through the smartest way to figure out how much of a down payment you really need.

But first, let’s get clear on what a home down payment actually is.

What Is a Down Payment?

A down payment is a portion of the total home price you pay out of pocket before financing the rest with a mortgage.

How Much Should I Pay for a Down Payment?

Aim for a down payment that’s 20% or more of the total home price. This minimum is partially based on guidelines set by government-sponsored companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Anything less than 20% is considered riskier for a lender—so to cover their butts, they make the mortgage more expensive for you by requiring private mortgage insurance (PMI).

Down Payment Formula

Home Price × Down Payment Percentage = Down Payment. Example: $300,000 × 20% = $60,000 (or $300,000 × 5% = $15,000—if you’re a first-time home buyer).

If this isn’t your first time buying a house, you’ve probably built up some serious equity in your current home by paying down your mortgage—and rising home prices have added even more equity. That makes a 20% down payment easier to reach. All you have to do is sell your current home to tap into that equity and—presto!—you have yourself a huge down payment for your next home.

If you’re a first-time home buyer, a smaller down payment—at least 5%—is okay too, but then you will have to pay that monthly PMI fee.

No matter what, make sure your mortgage payment is no more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay on a 15-year fixed-rate conventional loan (the type of mortgage with the overall lowest total cost). That gives you room in your budget for home maintenance and your other financial goals.

FYI: That 25% maximum mortgage payment includes principal, interest, property tax, home insurance, PMI, and homeowners association (HOA) fees.

How Much Does the Average Person Put Down on a House?

In 2025, the median down payment among all buyers was 20% of the purchase price, according to Ramsey Solutions’ Real Estate Report. Similarly, the National Association of REALTORS^® reported that number to be 19% overall—10% for first-time buyers and 23% for repeat buyers.² Not bad since those are in line with what we recommend—at least 5% for first-time home buyers, and 20% or more to avoid PMI. In fact, those are the highest median down payments buyers have made in decades!³

Besides high rental costs, the biggest reasons people give for struggling to save for a down payment are debt-related, especially credit card debt and student loans.⁴ That’s why we teach people to pay off 100% of their consumer debt and save a fully funded emergency fund (3–6 months of living expenses) before saving for a house. That way, you’ll have enough room in your budget to save for a big down payment faster and have cash to cover unexpected home repairs.

Do You Have to Put 20% Down on a House?

Most of the time, you can buy a house with a down payment less than 20%. We already mentioned how a down payment of 5% is okay for first-time home buyers. But beware! Some mortgage programs allow you to buy a house with a down payment as low as 3.5%—or even no down payment at all. That may sound tempting on the front end, but don’t be fooled.

Anything less than 5% is actually a very weak down payment, not to mention a surefire way to wind up upside down on a home. And you’ll waste a lot of money in interest and fees over the life of your mortgage.

Is 5% Down Enough on a House?

If you’re a first-time home buyer, a 5% down payment is fine. Keep in mind, any down payment less than 20% will come with that monthly PMI fee, which will increase your monthly mortgage payments. But as long as your mortgage payment is no more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay on a 15-year fixed-rate conventional loan—you’ll be okay. Whatever you do, stay away from FHA and VA loans (more on these next).

What Are the Pros and Cons of Low-Down-Payment Mortgages?

They let you skip saving for a down payment now (the only pro), but you pay for it later with extra fees and years of added interest (plenty of cons). They were designed for people who can’t get approved for a mortgage that meets traditional lending guidelines. But remember, lenders who approve low-down-payment mortgages end up taking more of your money in the long run. So, are they really helping people? We don’t think so.

To safeguard yourself, here are some rip-off mortgages to avoid:

• Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan: An FHA loan allows you to purchase a house with a down payment as little as 3.5%. But in exchange, you’ll be charged an extra fee for the life of the loan—on top of all the extra interest you’ll pay and decades you’ll spend in debt for not saving up a big down payment. Bad idea.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan: If you’re a veteran, a VA loan can help you get a house with no down payment at all! But when you put zero money down, you end up paying a higher monthly payment and thousands of dollars extra in total interest. Also, VA loans come with a funding fee. No thanks.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan: A USDA loan is designed to help people who can’t really afford to buy a home yet get into a house with zero money down. But again, that’ll crush your financial goals over the years with all the added interest payments and extra fees! Plus, if you can’t afford to put any money down on a house, you’re not in an ideal place to be a homeowner. Owning a home means handling maintenance and all the other unexpected costs that come up, like a leaky roof or a broken dishwasher. You get the idea.
• Adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM): An ARM gets you in trouble too, just from a different angle. It lures you in with a low teaser rate that feels affordable up front—but that rate can shoot up later and balloon your monthly payment, leaving you to pay a fortune in interest over time. We only recommend a 15-year fixed-rate conventional loan, so skip the ARM.

How Does the Size of Your Down Payment Impact Your Mortgage?

The rule of thumb for down payments is this: A smaller down payment means you spend more on your home because a bigger down payment means you spend less. Why is this true? Because the size of your down payment impacts three things:

• The need for PMI: If your down payment is less than 20%, you have to pay a monthly fee for PMI—a type of insurance that protects your lender (not you) if you stop making payments on your loan. PMI can cost 0.46–1.5% of your loan amount per year and is added to your mortgage payment each month.⁵
• Your monthly mortgage payment: When you have a larger down payment, you borrow less money from a lender. And when you borrow less, you typically make smaller monthly mortgage payments, depending on the loan.
• The total cost of interest: Since interest rates are a percentage of your loan amount, this becomes a no-brainer. The more money you put down in the beginning, the less you pay in interest because your loan amount is smaller.

As an example, imagine you take out a 15-year conventional mortgage at a 6.5% fixed interest rate on a $300,000 house. Using our Mortgage Calculator, let’s find out the total cost difference between a large down payment of 20% versus a small down payment of 3%. (For simplicity, we’ll round our numbers and leave out things like property tax, home insurance and HOA fees for now.)

^{*Note: If PMI is 1% of the total annual loan amount, the total cost of PMI here would be around $11,000 before it’s canceled after nearly four years of mortgage payments, when equity has reached 20%.}

Notice how putting down 20% on your home, instead of only 3%, allows you to avoid paying $400 extra in monthly mortgage payments and around $11,000 in total PMI fees! Plus, if you use our Mortgage Payoff Calculator, you can see that making a 20% down payment instead of just 3% saves you about $29,000 in total interest payments—cha-ching!

We get it. Saving for a down payment can be one of the most challenging, frustrating parts of buying a house. But patience and perseverance pay off—big-time.

If you’re saving for a big down payment and haven’t reached your goal yet, don’t stop now. Practice a little delayed gratification. Putting down 20% will be well worth the hard work for five important reasons.

1. You have a better chance at getting a mortgage.
2. You’ll likely get a lower interest rate.
3. You’ll make smaller monthly payments.
4. You won’t have to pay PMI.
5. You’ll pay off your home faster.

How Much of a Down Payment Do You Need for a $300,000 House?

To purchase a $300,000 house, you need a down payment of at least $60,000 (20% of the home price) to avoid PMI on a conventional mortgage. If you’re a first-time home buyer, you could save a smaller down payment of $15,000 (5%). But remember, that will drive up your monthly payment with PMI fees.

Here’s what those numbers look like across a range of home prices:

^{*This PMI example assumes 1% of the loan amount per year and drops off once you reach 20% equity.}

What’s the 25% Guideline for Monthly Payments?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: No matter what, make sure your mortgage payment is no more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay on a 15-year fixed-rate conventional loan.

No matter what your down payment is, always follow the 25% guideline.

Figuring out whether your mortgage payment will be no more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay can get tricky—but stick with us.

As an example, let’s assume you’re buying a $300,000 house with a 15-year mortgage at a 6.5% fixed interest rate. Each month, your property tax is $275, home insurance is $125, and HOA dues are $100. And if your down payment is less than 20%, you’ll get hit with PMI—which, in this case, could add about $238 a month with a down payment of 5%.

Using our Mortgage Calculator, you’ll notice that a 20% down payment of $60,000 has you paying $2,591 per month. On the flip side, a 5% down payment of $15,000 has you paying $3,221 per month.

In other words, if you go with 20% down in this example, your monthly take-home pay needs to be at least $10,364. But if you only put down 5%, you need to be banking at least $12,884 per month.

Whew—that’s a lot of math! But it’s worth doing so you can feel confident about buying a house you can afford!

How Much Do You Need Down for a Second Home or Investment Property?

If you get a second home or an investment property, we are always going to tell you to pay 100% cash. Those are something you buy after you’re debt-free and your own home is paid off (Baby Step 7). At that point you’ve got the margin to buy real estate the smart way, without a payment hanging over you. We don’t recommend taking out a loan for a second property, even when it’s an investment, because a loan is always a risk—and a rental that comes with debt can turn a good year into a bad one fast.

Now, if you’re set on financing anyway, know that lenders make you put down a lot more than they do on a primary home. A conventional loan on a second home usually starts around 10% down, and an investment property typically runs 15–25% down.⁶ Bigger required down payments are the market’s way of telling you these purchases carry more risk. If you’re not able to pay cash yet, that’s a sign to focus on paying off your primary home first.

How Long Does It Take to Save for a Down Payment?

You can save up a good down payment in five years if you save $1,000 per month—that’d be $60,000, which is 20% down on a $300,000 home. Bump that savings to $2,500 per month and you’re there in two years.

If you’re a first-time home buyer, you might aim for a 5% down payment instead (that’s $15,000 for a $300,000 home). You could save $500 per month and get there in 2.5 years.

Saving for a house can feel like climbing a mountain when you’re staring at $60,000. But if you pay off your consumer debt and save up your emergency fund first, you’ll free up your income and these savings timelines will look a whole lot more doable.