Mortgage rates just hit 5%. Buying a home has become a lot more expensive

Mortgage rates on 30-year, fixed-rate loans rose above 5% this week. That's pushing the cost of buying a home higher and making homeownership unaffordable for more people.

Steven Senne / Steven Senne

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: The monthly mortgage payment it takes to buy the typical home in the U.S. is now up by a staggering 55% compared with the start of last year. That’s because of the dramatic rise in mortgage rates in recent weeks on top of price gains in the hot housing market.

“It’s pretty insane,” says Nick Cacciatore, who’s looking to buy a house in Tampa, Fla. “It’s very demoralizing.”

Back when Cacciatore was looking last summer, mortgage rates were under 3%. This week they’ve risen to over 5%. While that may not sound like much, it makes a huge difference when you’re buying something as costly as a house. And Cacciatore was looking for homes in the price range of $600,000.