Most calculators stop at the deposit. This one keeps going. Put in what you have saved and what you want to buy, and it takes out the deposit, the stamp duty and every other cost you pay on the way in. Then it tells you the number people forget to ask: what is still in your account the day you get the keys.
After that it looks forward. It works out your repayment, sets it against your income and living costs, and shows how the balance moves over the next two years. It also tells you how many months that leftover cash would last if your income stopped tomorrow.
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What comes out of your savings
The deposit is the big one, but it is not the only one. Before you settle you will also pay for:
- Stamp duty. The calculator works this out for your state at 2026-27 rates. Pick first home buyer and it applies your state’s first home savings, including the ones that only apply to brand-new homes. You can still type over it. For the full breakdown, use our stamp duty calculator.
- Lender’s mortgage insurance. Usually charged when your deposit is under 20 per cent. Many buyers add it to the loan rather than pay it in cash. If you add it to the loan, leave the box at zero.
- Conveyancing and legals. Somewhere around $1,500 to $3,000 for most purchases.
- Building and pest inspection and searches. Often $500 to $1,500.
- Loan and government registration fees.
- Moving and setting up. Removalists, connecting power and internet, and the bits you only remember once you are standing in an empty kitchen.
A worked example
The calculator opens on a real-looking case so you can see how it works. A couple in NSW have $260,000 saved and are buying for $950,000 with a 15 per cent deposit.
- The deposit is $142,500.
- Stamp duty in NSW for a home to live in is $36,937.
- Legals, inspections, loan fees and moving add up to $7,800.
- That leaves $72,763 in the account on settlement day.
They borrow $807,500 at 5.90 per cent over 30 years, so the repayment is $4,789.58 a month. With $11,500 coming in after tax, $5,200 of living costs and $750 to run the house, they have $760 left each month. The buffer works out at 6.8 months. After two years of saving that surplus, the account would be at about $91,000.
Switch them to first home buyers and the NSW first home concession cuts the duty to $29,390. That puts about $7,500 more in the account on settlement day.
How much buffer is enough
There is no single right answer, but three months of total outgoings is a sensible floor. Six months is more comfortable, especially if one income is commission, contract or self-employed. The buffer tile turns amber under three months so you can see when you are cutting it fine.
Some lenders also look at what you have left after settlement when they assess you. Money in an offset account still counts as yours and it cuts your interest at the same time, so a good buffer does not have to sit idle.
What a rate rise does to your month
The table at the bottom shows your repayment and your monthly surplus at 0.5, 1 and 2 per cent above today’s rate. In the example, a 1 per cent rise adds $529 a month and cuts the surplus to $232. A 2 per cent rise adds $1,079 and puts them $319 behind every month. If the bottom row turns negative, that is worth knowing before you bid, not after.
Questions people ask
Should I put every dollar into the deposit?
Not always. A bigger deposit lowers the repayment and can avoid mortgage insurance, but it leaves you with nothing to fall back on. Run it both ways here and compare the buffer.
What if the calculator says I am short?
It will tell you by how much. You can bring the price down, drop the deposit, or look at whether a first home buyer scheme or a guarantor would change the picture. A broker can tell you which lenders will work with the deposit you actually have.
Does this include my borrowing power?
No. It assumes you can borrow the amount shown. To check that, use the borrowing power calculator.
For the full list of buying costs on their own, see the property buying cost calculator.
Estimates only, for general information, using 2026-27 stamp duty rates. They are not an offer of credit or personal advice. Check the numbers with your broker before you sign anything.