50-Year Mortgage Payment Calculator

Published on November 12th, 2025

<br />

More than 90% of mortgages in the U.S. are 30-year loans. Spreading out payments over three decades helps buyers secure lower monthly payments, making homeownership more accessible. So what would happen if 50-year mortgages became available? How much could that change your monthly payment or total loan cost?

To find answers, we’ve created a 50-year mortgage payment calculator that allows you to compare how a 50-year loan stacks up against a traditional 30-year loan.

Compare Monthly Payments and Total Interest

HomeLight’s 50-Year Mortgage Payment Calculator gives you a side-by-side look at how extending your loan term affects your monthly costs and long-term expenses. Enter your home price, down payment, and loan details to see:

How much your monthly payment changes with a 50-year term
How much total interest you’d pay across 30 vs. 50 years
The overall amount paid on each loan, including property tax and insurance

Your results may be surprising, especially when you see how much more in interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan.

For example, a $400,000 loan with 20% down shows a $115 lower monthly payment under a 50-year term, but nearly $392,000 more in total interest.

How to Use the 50-Year Mortgage Calculator

Step 1: Enter Your Loan Details

Start by entering your estimated home price and down payment. If your down payment is less than 20%, the calculator will add private mortgage insurance (PMI) to your monthly payment. It will also provide rough estimates for annual property tax and annual home insurance costs, which you can adjust to match your scenario. You can also modify the interest rate for both the 30-year and 50-year columns to see how rate changes might affect affordability. Keep in mind that longer terms typically have higher interest rates.

Step 2: Review the Results

Once you’ve entered your information, the calculator displays your monthly payment, total interest paid, and total amount paid over the life of each loan. The Quick Comparison box highlights your potential monthly savings with a 50-year term and how much additional interest you’d pay overall.

Step 3: Adjust and Compare

Experiment with different inputs to see how loan size, down payment, or interest rate might affect your results. Try higher down payments to eliminate PMI or tweak the rate difference to understand how sensitive your monthly budget might be.

Remember, the calculator provides a rough estimate of mortgage payments based on basic loan factors. 50-year mortgages are not currently a standard product, although Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte recently called the concept “a complete game changer.” But is it a game worth playing, or is the traditional 30-year mortgage your better bet?

30-Year vs. 50-Year Mortgage: Key Differences

Monthly Payment Impact

The main appeal of a 50-year mortgage is the smaller monthly payment. By spreading repayment over two additional decades, you’ll see a noticeable drop in what you owe each month — sometimes by more than $100 or $200, depending on the loan size and rate.

However, the savings are largely short-term. The longer timeline means you’ll be paying interest for far longer, which adds up to a much higher total cost.

Total Interest Over Time

When you compare a $400,000 loan at a 6.5% rate, the 30-year term results in roughly $370,000 in total interest, while the 50-year version pushes that to about $762,000. That’s more than double the interest cost for the same loan amount — a trade-off that’s easy to underestimate when looking only at monthly payments.

Equity and Long-Term Value

Because a larger portion of early payments go toward interest, a 50-year borrower builds equity much more slowly. If you plan to sell or refinance within 10 years, you might find that your balance hasn’t decreased much at all. This could limit your financial flexibility or profit potential.

That slower snail-paced path to ownership might make sense for long-term buyers but may not fit those hoping to move or upgrade sooner.

Who Might Benefit From a 50-Year Loan?

A 50-year mortgage could help certain buyers enter or remain in the market:

First-time buyers who need lower monthly payments to qualify for a home in a high-cost area
Homeowners on fixed incomes seeking stability with predictable payments
Long-term owners who plan to stay in the same property for decades
Real estate investors focused on cash flow rather than rapid equity growth

Still, a five-decade-long loan may not be the best fit for everyone. If you anticipate selling or refinancing within a decade, the long timeline could leave you paying mostly interest without any significant reduction in your principal loan balance.

It also exposes you to the risk of paying far more in total costs over your lifetime — often hundreds of thousands more.

Alternatives to Extend Affordability

If affordability is your concern, there are other tools worth exploring before turning to an ultra-long-term loan:

40-Year Mortgage: While uncommon, some lenders offer 40-year terms that stretch payments slightly longer while keeping total interest a little more manageable.
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM): With an ARM, you can start with a lower fixed rate for several years before it adjusts, which can be useful if you plan to move or refinance within that window.
Temporary Rate Buydown: An interest rate buydown reduces your interest rate for the first one to three years to help you ease into your payments.
HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell (BBYS) Program: For move-up buyers, this BBYS option allows you to purchase your next home first and sell later (with only one move), freeing up your equity without a rushed sale.

Each option carries trade-offs in cost and flexibility, so it’s worth comparing them side by side and consulting with a professional advisor.

Run Your Numbers on the 50-Year Mortgage Calculator

A 50-year mortgage can make monthly payments look more manageable, but it also expands the size of your debt bucket, stretches out your loan commitment time, and dramatically increases your borrowing costs over the life of the loan.

If a 50-year mortgage product is introduced into the market, you’ll want to carefully examine the benefits and drawbacks before making a commitment. In the meantime, if you’d like to explore your options, consult with an expert.

HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform can connect you with trusted, top-rated real estate agents in your market. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.

More Free Homebuyer Tools From HomeLight

(Editor’s note: The FHFA doesn’t currently approve 50-year conforming loans. Some private lenders may occasionally offer extended-term loans, but they aren’t backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.)