Borrowing capacity, income and budget
How much can I borrow with €2,000 per month?
With €2,000 in monthly income: a step-by-step calculation of your borrowing capacity, the bank’s three constraints and five levers to increase it.
At this income level, the borrowable amount is determined by three figures: the maximum monthly payment that your income can support, including insurance, the loan term and the prevailing interest rate. The debt-to-income ratio limit, the residual income specific to each lender and the usury threshold bound the calculation; on a tight budget, the residual income often blocks the first. Therefore, no amount can be promised in advance.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
The update date is the date the content was last checked against its sources.
Key points
- The borrowable amount depends on three figures: the maximum monthly payment, the chosen term and the prevailing interest rate, the latter being beyond all control.
- Borrower insurance is included in the monthly payment used for the debt-to-income ratio calculation; omitting it creates a false impression of a higher capacity than reality.
- Residual income, which is not standardised by any regulation, often takes effect before the debt-to-income ratio limit on a tight budget.
- The down payment does not increase borrowing capacity, which depends solely on income and expenses; it increases the budget and first finances the fees.
- An ongoing loan removes from the available monthly payment everything it consumes, and therefore the capital that this portion would have purchased.
At this income level, your borrowing capacity is derived from three figures: the maximum monthly instalment, the term and the interest rate. You can influence the first two. See the borrowing capacity file; for a couple, the couple's borrowing capacity; when selling at the same time, the second purchase.
How much can you borrow with €2,000 of income per month?
The amount is determined by the monthly instalment your income can support, the term and the interest rate. The monthly instalment depends on your expenses and the debt-to-income ratio limit.
Plafond fixé par le Haut Conseil de stabilité financière. Il s'applique à la totalité des charges de crédit du ménage, assurance comprise.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
| The figure | What it represents | Who sets it | Your scope for manoeuvre |
|---|---|---|---|
| The maximum monthly instalment | A portion of your retained income, reduced by your credit expenses | The lending rule, within the debt-to-income ratio limit | Real: it depends on expenses you can adjust |
| The term | The number of monthly instalments over which the capital is spread | You, within the limit of a regulatory cap | Real, but each additional year yields diminishing returns |
| The interest rate | The price of money at the time the loan offer is issued | The market, and your profile to a lesser extent | Low in the short term |
Une durée supplémentaire existe pour les opérations comportant un différé, par exemple un achat en état futur d'achèvement.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Décision D-HCSF-2021-7, art. 1er — Légifrance
Example, without a loan offer value: an apartment purchased off-plan, delivered eight months after the loan is granted. The deferral period can cover these eight months: the maturity date can then exceed the term above by eight months, the amortisation period remaining limited by it. If delivered thirty months later, the deferral period stops at the cap, resulting in a total maturity of 324 mois (). Example established on 01/11/2026 based solely on the caps of the High Council.
What capital, in figures, at the current rate?
Approximately €124,400 over twenty years, as a sole borrower with no other credit, insurance not deducted. Over fifteen years, approximately €100,600; over twenty-five years, approximately €143,500.
The average rates for July 2026 used are: 3,11 % () over fifteen years, 3,16 % () over twenty years. The twenty-five-year column follows the average for that term, from the same source.
| Net monthly income | Over fifteen years | Over twenty years | Over twenty-five years |
|---|---|---|---|
| €2,000 | approximately €100,600 | approximately €124,400 | approximately €143,500 |
Estimate, without the value of an offer, made on 29/10/2026 for a sole borrower with no other debt; rounded to the nearest hundred.
These capitals are ceilings: the insurance comes out of the same instalment. If it takes a tenth of it, deduct a tenth. The method is below.
The calculation, in two steps
First, the maximum instalment, under the ceiling and above a minimum living budget. Then its conversion into capital by the constant annuity formula.
The insurance counts in the instalment. To forget it is to announce a capacity that the bank will not confirm.
The minimum living budget often blocks before the ceiling on a modest income. No text quantifies it; it is this that designates the bank where to submit (the rule of the High Council).
The usury rate: the APR, insurance and fees included, cannot exceed these ceilings. An expensive insurance can lead to the rejection of a file.
Plafond du TAEG, assurance et frais compris. Ce n'est pas un taux proposé.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Légifrance
Plafond du TAEG, assurance et frais compris. Ce n'est pas un taux proposé.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Légifrance
C = M × (1 − (1 + t)^(−n)) ÷ t
C is the capital, M the instalment excluding insurance, t the annual nominal rate ÷ 12 (not the APR), n the number of instalments. Deduct the insurance from M, otherwise the capital inflates. The last years added yield little and cost interest (the instalment).
The income retained on a payslip of €2,000
Higher than the transfer (pay-as-you-earn tax is not deducted), lower than your annual total (variable pay is removed).
- Thirteenth month or contractual bonus: retained; discretionary, no.
- Overtime hours: if regular and long-standing, they can be defended.
- Allowances and expenses: excluded.
Document them: contract, collective agreement, December payslips (the income retained).
Does your contribution increase your borrowing capacity?
No: borrowing capacity depends on income and outgoings. The contribution increases the lending budget, and pays the fees first.
It improves the terms, and opens more banks.
- Without a contribution: the “110%”, possible, but everything is scrutinised.
- Contribution equal to the fees: the most requested case.
- Beyond that: keep a residual saving.
See the personal contribution.
A loan in progress weighs heavily
Each euro of instalment in progress removes one euro of monthly payment, and all the capital it would have bought.
Counted: car, consumer, renewable, LOA or LLD, student loan, pension paid. Close an unused overdraft before the submission.
- Small loan almost repaid: settle it, if the contribution allows.
- Long and heavy loan: announce it from the start.
- Several small loans: no consolidation the day before a submission.
Do not take out any loan during the processing: the statements are reviewed before the offer.
What can you buy in Lyon and the first ring?
Purchase budget = capital + contribution − fees. Surface = budget ÷ price per square metre of the sector.
Villeurbanne, Vénissieux, Caluire, Oullins-Pierre-Bénite or Bron open up more surface. A property to renovate too, works quantified before the offer. See the prices per square metre, the glossary and what the bank looks at.
Five levers without an increase in income
| Lever | Effect | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Settling a loan liability | Direct and immediate | Cash |
| Putting the insurance in competition | Real, often underestimated | A questionnaire to redo |
| Extending the term | Strong, up to the limit | Interest, diminishing returns |
| Assisted loan or zero-interest loan | Strong when eligible | Conditions to check |
| Borrowing as a couple | The most powerful | A joint commitment |
What I look at first in a file at this income level
- The last three statements: overdrafts, forgotten loans, actual savings.
- The stability of employment: a modest and long-standing income is viewed more favourably than a higher but recent income.
- The actual budget: including insurance, fees and the amount left to live on.
Order of magnitude: the borrowing capacity. Total cost: the purchase costs and the budget for a first purchase. Have your last three statements checked by telephone.
Create your file: your actual capacity, calculated as the bank would.
Regroupement de crédits
Un regroupement de crédits dont la part des crédits immobiliers ne dépasse pas 60 % du montant total de l’opération relève du crédit à la consommation (C. consom., art. L. 314-10, L. 314-11 et R. 314-18). Le code impose alors la mention suivante sur sa publicité :
Un crédit vous engage et doit être remboursé. Vérifiez vos capacités de remboursement avant de vous engager
Sources
Read next
- How much can I borrow? Mortgage capacity in Lyon
- What salary do you need to borrow €200,000 in Lyon? What salary to borrow €200,000: calculating the minimum income, and why disposable income, term and insurance can weigh as heavily as the cap.
- What term should you choose for your mortgage: fifteen years, twenty years, or longer? Paying the least interest without strangling your budget: what each term changes, how far the lender can extend it, and the method for choosing.
- How much can I borrow alone with €2,500 per month? Alone with €2,500 of income per month: what determines your borrowing capacity, the constraint that decides, and where to find room if the calculation stalls.
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