₹1.5 crore is a very common ceiling in Bengaluru's mid-premium segment, and it is the point where buyers start asking what their EMI will be and how much they must bring. This guide runs the numbers on a ₹1.5 crore flat at current repo-linked rates. Update, 8 October 2026: the RBI raised the repo rate by 0.25% to 5.50% on 7 October, so floating rates will rise on your next reset; the EMIs below use pre-hike rates. What the hike adds to each EMI: RBI Raises the Repo Rate to 5.50%: What It Means for Your Home Loan EMI (October 2026)

The existing site articles cover FOIR and LTV in general and how to improve a credit score; here we put the numbers on one purchase. All EMIs below are our own arithmetic on stated assumptions.

Where the repo rate stands

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 percent on 5 August 2026, the fifth consecutive hold, with a neutral stance, a standing deposit facility rate of 5.00 percent and a marginal standing facility rate of 5.50 percent, per GoldenPi's summary of the meeting. It put the FY27 CPI inflation forecast at 5.0 percent. The next meeting runs 5 to 7 October 2026, and press coverage ahead of it expected most economists to anticipate a hold, though that is an expectation, not a decision. Check the RBI's announcement for the outcome.

Most floating-rate home loans are linked to an external benchmark such as the repo rate, so a repo change feeds through to borrowers with a lag set by the lender's reset terms.

What banks are quoting

BankBazaar's rate table, updated September 2026, lists starting rates: SBI from 7.25 percent, HDFC from 7.75 percent, Axis 8.00 to 9.10 percent, Bank of Baroda 7.20 to 8.95 percent for floating loans, and LIC Housing Finance from 7.15 percent. Processing fees on its list include up to 0.50 percent for HDFC (minimum ₹4,000), 0.35 percent plus GST for SBI (capped at ₹12,000 plus GST) and up to 1 percent for Axis. The page notes that rates are subject to change at the bank's discretion.

The starting rate is for the best borrower profile. Your offered rate depends on credit score, employment type, loan size and the lender's spread, so use the table as a range, and ask each bank for a written sanction letter showing your rate and reset terms.

How much can you borrow: the RBI cap

RBI's loan-to-value limits for individual housing loans are up to 90 percent for loans up to ₹30 lakh, up to 80 percent for loans above ₹30 lakh and up to ₹75 lakh, and up to 75 percent for loans above ₹75 lakh (RBI circular, as summarised by Deccan Herald and Business Standard). On a ₹1.5 crore home, 75 percent means a maximum loan of ₹1.125 crore. The minimum down payment is therefore ₹37.5 lakh.

EMI on ₹1.125 crore: our arithmetic

Standard reducing-balance EMI, with an illustrative range of rates and tenures. Interest figures are over the full tenure on the original balance with no prepayment and a constant rate, which will not hold for a floating loan, so use them as a guide.

  • 7.25 percent, 20 years: EMI about ₹88,900; total interest about ₹1.01 crore.
  • 7.25 percent, 25 years: EMI about ₹81,300; total interest about ₹1.31 crore.
  • 7.75 percent, 20 years: EMI about ₹92,400; total interest about ₹1.09 crore.
  • 7.75 percent, 25 years: EMI about ₹85,000; total interest about ₹1.42 crore.
  • 8.5 percent, 25 years: EMI about ₹90,600; total interest about ₹1.59 crore.
  • 8.5 percent, 30 years: EMI about ₹86,500; total interest about ₹1.99 crore.

Income needed to qualify

Lenders test eligibility by comparing your total monthly obligations with your income, a measure usually called FOIR, and the cap varies by lender and profile; we do not quote a single figure. The method is simple: required monthly income equals the EMI plus your existing EMIs, divided by the share of income the lender allows. As a hypothetical, if a lender allowed total obligations of 50 percent of net monthly income and you had no other loans, an EMI of ₹85,000 would need a net income of about ₹1.7 lakh a month. If your lender allows a different share, the figure changes accordingly. A co-applicant's income can raise eligibility, and joint loans have tax implications covered in our other articles.

The cash you need on day one

  • Down payment: at least ₹37.5 lakh (25 percent of ₹1.5 crore).
  • Statutory charges: about 7.6 percent in Karnataka, or around ₹11.4 lakh, as illustrative arithmetic (see our stamp duty article), and not generally financed by a home loan.
  • Processing fee: from about ₹12,000 plus GST at SBI's cap to higher percentages elsewhere, per BankBazaar.
  • GST on under-construction flats, parking, club and corpus charges, and interiors.
  • A rough upfront total before GST and interiors: about ₹49 lakh, the sum of the down payment and statutory charges.

Ways to lower the cost

  • Negotiate the rate. Lenders can reprice for a strong credit profile; compare at least three sanction letters.
  • Choose the tenure that balances EMI and total interest. Moving from 20 to 25 years cut the EMI by about ₹7,000 in our 7.25 percent example, at the price of about ₹3 lakh more interest.
  • Prepay when you can. Floating-rate loans for individual borrowers typically allow prepayment without penalty; confirm the terms in your sanction letter.
  • Stress-test at a rate 1 percentage point higher than the one you are offered. If the EMI strains your budget, reduce the loan.

Our view

A ₹1.5 crore flat is manageable for a household with a comfortable monthly surplus if the loan is sized sensibly, but the upfront cash of roughly ₹49 lakh is the real hurdle for many. Use our calculators to test your own figures, and do not stretch the tenure or the loan simply because a bank will allow it.