These 5 Side Hustles Earn Enough To Cover a Mortgage Payment in Some Cities

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As many Americans grapple with affordability issues, especially in the real estate market, it may seem like buying a house is out of reach.

However, joining the approximately 38% of Americans with a side hustle, according to a LendingTree survey — including 57% of Gen Z and 50% of millennials — could help you cover a mortgage payment in some cities. 

The average monthly mortgage payment in the U.S. is $2,329, per Rocket Mortgage. However, there’s a wide range across the country. For example, in San Francisco, the median payment is $6,849; in Los Angeles it’s $4,476; in Boston it’s $3,809, and Miami it’s $3,341, according to a Bankrate analysis of National Association of Realtors data. Yet in several large cities, you can pay much lower mortgage prices, such as with the median being $1,319 in Detroit, $1,751 in Houston, $1,884 in Philadelphia, and $1,917 in Atlanta.

Granted, there are also other housing costs like property taxes, insurance and homeowners’ association (HOA) fees, which could add several hundred if not over a thousand dollars per month. Still, that means earning around $2,000 to $3,000 per month from a side hustle could cover your full mortgage payment and other fixed housing costs. 

If you’re working 15 hours per week on your side hustle, i.e., about 60 hours per month, that means you’d need to earn about $60 per hour to hit $3,600 per month in side hustle income, and after setting aside 30% for taxes, that would leave you with about $2,520 per month in side hustle income.

GOBankingRates listed some side hustles that can pay that much per hour.

Freelance Writing

Being a freelance writer, especially if writing for other businesses, can be a very lucrative side hustle. Approximately 54% of freelance writers charge over $60 per hour, according to a ClearVoice survey. Many charge per word or by project instead, but if you convert that to an hourly rate, you often earn even more.

For example, if you charge $500 for a blog article that takes you about five hours to write, that’s equivalent to $100 per hour. That said, you need to gain experience before charging higher rates like this.

But things tend to move fast in the freelance world. After a few months of building up your clips, such as by writing for free on a self-publishing site like Medium and doing some low-cost writing for other businesses, you can quickly command higher rates.

SAT Tutoring

An SAT tutor earns an average of $70 per hour, according to Tutors.com, so if you have specialized knowledge in reading, writing or math, you might be able to earn enough to pay your mortgage. Getting to this level, however, requires building up a client base and gaining the specific knowledge of how standardized tests work so you can deliver results.

One option is to volunteer with local education-focused nonprofits, or you might look for a part-time job with an established tutoring business. You can also tutor online through platforms like WyzAnt. Once you feel comfortable, you can then branch off on your own, such as by finding local clients in Facebook groups or on Nextdoor.

Eventually, word of mouth can start working in your favor, as you get referrals from past clients and bump up your rates as you gain more experience. 

Wedding Photographer

If you’re a natural behind the camera and are OK working some weekends, being a wedding photographer can easily cover your monthly mortgage payment. On average, a wedding photographer costs $2,900, according to The Knot. Even after accounting for overhead like travel costs, doing around one or two weddings per month could be enough.

Still, this takes specialized skill. Consider starting by working as an assistant or second shooter. Contact local wedding photographers to see if they need help. Also, offer to take free shots of friends and family for special occasions, such as engagement photos, so that you can build up your portfolio to then bring in customers.

Web Development

Even with AI tools and several web hosting platforms making it easy to design a basic website, many businesses are willing to pay for more customized development. Rates vary significantly, but an analysis by Arc of data from the Codementor platform found an average hourly rate of $61 to $80.

You can find free or low-cost online course to develop coding skills to become a web developer, and you can build up your experience and client base to command these types of rates by first working for free or at a reduced rate for local businesses. Go around to restaurants, gyms, salons, and other businesses in your area to see if they’d be willing to let you spruce up their websites. Soon, you’ll have a portfolio you can use to find clients, including by going to additional businesses you haven’t served yet and charging higher rates at that point.

Interior Design

If you have a natural artistic side, you might be able to make substantial money doing interior design as a side hustle. Rates vary significantly such as by location and expertise, but according to Sweeten, interior designers usually charge around $100 to $200 per hour. Note that state rules vary, with some requiring certain licensing to call yourself an interior designer versus other terms like decorator.

To find clients, consider networking with local real estate agents who might know new homeowners looking for design help. You can also market your services such as through social media, where you demonstrate your unique style and design expertise, and ideally you’ll get inbound leads for people looking for help, whether that’s virtual consultations or in-person reviews.

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