Can a recent graduate afford a starter home in 2025?

What to notice

The story is less about a single number and more about proportions. Even when income rises, the recommended 30% line barely moves compared with how quickly monthly mortgage costs climb once rates and prices are set. Try sliding income upward: the housing bar still stays high because the mortgage is anchored to the home price, not your paycheck. This creates the core affordability trap for new graduates. In most cases, the housing cost takes over half of monthly income before utilities, maintenance, or student loan payments enter the picture. The annotation calls out that gap so the viewer sees a concrete constraint, not a vague worry. The goal of this view is to make the tradeoff visible: to afford a home without breaking the 30% guideline, either wages must be much higher, prices must be lower, or the buyer must bring far more cash up front. That is the decision space the rest of the project will explore.