2026 Military BAH Rates
Basic Allowance for Housing for every pay grade at all 146 US installations — updated from official 2026 DoD tables.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is one of the most important numbers in a military family's finances. It's a non-taxable monthly payment that replaces on-base housing for service members who live off-post — and the rate varies dramatically by location. An E-5 at Naval Station Norfolk receives a different BAH than the same pay grade at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. This page covers the full 2026 rate landscape across all 146 US installations, so you can compare assignments before orders are cut or budget accurately after they are.
Click any installation name below to open the full pay-grade table — showing every grade from E-1 through O-6, with-dependents and without-dependents rates, monthly BAH vs. average local rent, and the monthly surplus or shortfall. The interactive app also lets you filter by branch, state, or specific pay grade across all 146 installations simultaneously.
Top 10 Highest BAH Rates — E-5 With Dependents
| Installation | Location | Branch | E-5 BAH w/dep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Air Force Base | El Segundo, California | Space Force | $4,554 |
| Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam | Honolulu, Hawaii | Navy | $4,158 |
| USCG Sector San Francisco | Alameda, California | Coast Guard | $4,158 |
| NAS North Island | Coronado, California | Navy | $3,906 |
| MCAS Miramar | San Diego, California | Marines | $3,906 |
| MCBH Kaneohe Bay | Kaneohe, Hawaii | Marines | $3,906 |
| MCRD San Diego | San Diego, California | Marines | $3,906 |
| USCG Sector San Diego | San Diego, California | Coast Guard | $3,762 |
| Schofield Barracks | Wahiawa, Hawaii | Army | $3,636 |
| NAS Key West | Key West, Florida | Navy | $3,636 |
10 Most Affordable Duty Stations — E-5 With Dependents
| Installation | Location | Branch | E-5 BAH w/dep |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sands Missile Range | White Sands, New Mexico | Army | $1,044 |
| Yuma Proving Ground | Yuma, Arizona | Army | $1,044 |
| USCG Sector Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | Coast Guard | $1,044 |
| USCG Sector Baltimore | Baltimore, Maryland | Coast Guard | $1,044 |
| Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Space Force | $1,044 |
| Maui Space Surveillance Complex | Kihei, Hawaii | Space Force | $1,044 |
| Vance Air Force Base | Enid, Oklahoma | Air Force | $1,044 |
| USCG Sector Great Lakes | Milwaukee, Illinois | Coast Guard | $1,044 |
| USCG Sector San Juan | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Coast Guard | $1,044 |
| USCG Sector Honolulu | Honolulu, Hawaii | Coast Guard | $1,044 |
Lower BAH areas typically have lower cost of living — use the full installation profile to see the surplus/shortfall against actual local rent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing)?
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a monthly non-taxable cash allowance paid to service members who do not live in government-provided housing. The rate is set by pay grade and duty station zip code, and is designed to cover approximately 95% of median local rental costs. BAH is updated every January 1 using the DoD's annual housing survey.
How is the BAH rate determined for my pay grade?
The DoD establishes an E-5 with-dependents base rate for each zip code. Rates for other pay grades are calculated by multiplying this base rate by the official DoD pay-grade multiplier. For example, O-3 BAH is approximately 1.195× the E-5 base rate. BaseReady applies these multipliers to produce the full table for each installation.
Does BAH change if I have dependents?
Yes. BAH with-dependents rates are higher than without-dependents rates — typically 15–20% higher depending on pay grade. Once you have any qualifying dependent (spouse, child, or dependent parent), you receive the higher with-dependents rate for your entire tour at that duty station, regardless of whether the dependent lives with you.
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