How much can I borrow for a house in NZ?

How much you can borrow in New Zealand mainly depends on your income, your regular expenses and existing debts, your deposit, and the bank’s serviceability test (which checks you could still pay at an interest rate well above the current rate). As a rough guide, lenders often land around five to six times gross household income, but debt-to-income limits and your deposit (LVR) can cap that. The most reliable way is to run your own numbers.

Banks assess affordability by stress-testing your repayments at a rate higher than today’s, then checking what is left after living costs and other debt. A bigger deposit (lower loan-to-value ratio) and fewer other debts increase what you can borrow.

Use the borrowing capacity calculator for an estimate, then the repayment tools to see what those repayments would actually cost.

Work it out

Indicative only, not financial advice. Uses current New Zealand rates for 2026/27. Last reviewed 2026-06-02. See also financial literacy NZ.

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