Does 2026 BAH Cover Rent? BAH vs Local Fair Market Rent

We compared 2026 BAH for an E-5 with dependents against HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent at 149 major U.S. military bases. The short answer: at 147 of 149, BAH clears the federal rent benchmark — here's where it stretches furthest and where it's tightest.

Published June 2026

149

major bases analyzed

147

where BAH meets or beats the local 2BR Fair Market Rent

143%

average share of 2BR Fair Market Rent that BAH covers

90.0%

tightest base: Twentynine Palms, CA

For most service members, BAH is the second-biggest line on the paycheck — and a fair question is whether it actually keeps up with local rent. We took the 2026 BAH rate for an E-5 with dependents (the rate pegged to a 2-bedroom standard) and compared it, base by base, to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit in the same area — the standard federal rent benchmark.

The headline: across these 149 installations, BAH covers an average of 143% of the local 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, and clears it at 147 of 149 bases. Only 2 — Twentynine Palms, CA and Barstow, CA, both remote, high-cost posts — come in below the benchmark.

One honest caveat. Fair Market Rent is HUD's modest-unit standard (roughly the 40th percentile of an area's rents) — not the median, and not a nicer or newer apartment. "BAH beats FMR" means the allowance covers a typical modest 2-bedroom; in high-cost metros, rent for a larger or newer place can still run well above BAH. Use this as a floor, not a ceiling.

Methodology & sources

BAH: 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing, E-5 with dependents, by Military Housing Area (source: DoD Defense Travel Management Office, effective Jan 1, 2026). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent (FY2026), 2-bedroom, for the metro/county containing each base (source: HUD User, huduser.gov). We chose the E-5-with-dependents rate because it is benchmarked to a 2-bedroom unit, matching HUD's 2-bedroom FMR. Both figures are derived from rental-market surveys, which makes them directly comparable. "Coverage" = BAH ÷ FMR. A figure below 100% means BAH is less than the federal Fair Market Rent for that area. Bases are included only where the HUD FMR area could be confirmed; this is a sample of major installations, not all Military Housing Areas.

Where BAH is tightest against local rent

The 10 bases where 2026 E-5 BAH covers the smallest share of the local 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent — the spots where housing money is most stretched (red rows are below FMR):

Base & location	2026 BAH (E-5 w/dep)	HUD 2BR FMR	Monthly gap	BAH covers
MCB Twentynine Palms — Twentynine Palms, CA	$1,980	$2,201	−$221	90.0%
Fort Irwin (NTC) — Barstow, CA	$2,001	$2,201	−$200	90.9%
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake — Ridgecrest, CA	$1,563	$1,483	+$80	105.4%
Vandenberg Space Force Base — Lompoc, CA	$3,333	$3,124	+$209	106.7%
Naval Station Everett — Everett, WA	$2,748	$2,501	+$247	109.9%
Naval Air Station Fallon — Fallon, NV	$1,596	$1,421	+$175	112.3%
Tobyhanna Army Depot — Tobyhanna, PA	$1,740	$1,529	+$211	113.8%
Naval Base Kitsap — Bremerton, WA	$2,364	$2,031	+$333	116.4%
Vance AFB — Enid, OK	$1,200	$1,027	+$173	116.8%
Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma — Petaluma, CA	$3,303	$2,827	+$476	116.8%

Where BAH stretches furthest

And the bases where BAH most comfortably clears the local Fair Market Rent:

Base & location	2026 BAH (E-5 w/dep)	HUD 2BR FMR	Monthly surplus	BAH covers
Arnold AFB — Tullahoma, TN	$2,184	$959	+$1,225	227.7%
Picatinny Arsenal — Wharton, NJ	$4,749	$2,205	+$2,544	215.4%
Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City — Elizabeth City, NC	$2,508	$1,216	+$1,292	206.3%
Coast Guard Air Station Sitka — Sitka, AK	$3,210	$1,566	+$1,644	205.0%
Fort Novosel (Fort Rucker) — Daleville, AL	$1,572	$776	+$796	202.6%

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Full data — all 149 bases

Sorted from lowest BAH-to-rent coverage to highest. Rows in red are where BAH is below the local Fair Market Rent.

Base & location	2026 BAH (E-5 w/dep)	HUD 2BR FMR	Monthly gap	BAH covers
MCB Twentynine Palms — Twentynine Palms, CA	$1,980	$2,201	−$221	90.0%
Fort Irwin (NTC) — Barstow, CA	$2,001	$2,201	−$200	90.9%
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake — Ridgecrest, CA	$1,563	$1,483	+$80	105.4%
Vandenberg Space Force Base — Lompoc, CA	$3,333	$3,124	+$209	106.7%
Naval Station Everett — Everett, WA	$2,748	$2,501	+$247	109.9%
Naval Air Station Fallon — Fallon, NV	$1,596	$1,421	+$175	112.3%
Tobyhanna Army Depot — Tobyhanna, PA	$1,740	$1,529	+$211	113.8%
Naval Base Kitsap — Bremerton, WA	$2,364	$2,031	+$333	116.4%
Vance AFB — Enid, OK	$1,200	$1,027	+$173	116.8%
Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma — Petaluma, CA	$3,303	$2,827	+$476	116.8%
Fort Polk (JRTC) — Leesville, LA	$1,218	$1,041	+$177	117.0%
Goodfellow AFB — San Angelo, TX	$1,578	$1,339	+$239	117.8%
Shaw AFB — Sumter, SC	$1,503	$1,276	+$227	117.8%
Fort Drum — Watertown, NY	$1,665	$1,405	+$260	118.5%
Nellis AFB — Las Vegas, NV	$2,070	$1,735	+$335	119.3%
Fort Detrick — Frederick, MD	$2,682	$2,246	+$436	119.4%
MCLB Albany — Albany, GA	$1,371	$1,129	+$242	121.4%
Dyess AFB — Abilene, TX	$1,554	$1,276	+$278	121.8%
Seymour Johnson AFB — Goldsboro, NC	$1,521	$1,244	+$277	122.3%
Yuma Proving Ground — Yuma, AZ	$1,695	$1,382	+$313	122.6%
NAS JRB Fort Worth — Fort Worth, TX	$2,118	$1,723	+$395	122.9%
Naval Station Newport — Newport, RI	$2,847	$2,314	+$533	123.0%
Fort Sill — Lawton, OK	$1,233	$1,001	+$232	123.2%
Anniston Army Depot — Anniston, AL	$1,185	$962	+$223	123.2%
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island — Oak Harbor, WA	$2,073	$1,671	+$402	124.1%
Cannon AFB — Clovis, NM	$1,365	$1,098	+$267	124.3%
Luke AFB — Glendale, AZ	$2,289	$1,839	+$450	124.5%
Malmstrom AFB — Great Falls, MT	$1,608	$1,284	+$324	125.2%
McConnell AFB — Wichita, KS	$1,377	$1,099	+$278	125.3%
Coast Guard Base Seattle — Seattle, WA	$3,135	$2,501	+$634	125.3%
Fort Riley — Junction City, KS	$1,314	$1,048	+$266	125.4%
Naval Air Station Pensacola — Pensacola, FL	$1,863	$1,471	+$392	126.6%
Scott AFB — Belleville, IL	$1,542	$1,218	+$324	126.6%
Moody AFB — Valdosta, GA	$1,524	$1,192	+$332	127.9%
Naval Support Activity Panama City — Panama City, FL	$2,163	$1,682	+$481	128.6%
Naval Postgraduate School — Monterey, CA	$3,465	$2,684	+$781	129.1%
Coast Guard Base Alameda — Alameda, CA	$3,759	$2,912	+$847	129.1%
Wright-Patterson AFB — Dayton, OH	$1,650	$1,273	+$377	129.6%
Joint Base Lewis-McChord — Tacoma, WA	$2,556	$1,971	+$585	129.7%
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi — Corpus Christi, TX	$1,788	$1,366	+$422	130.9%
Fort Sam Houston — San Antonio, TX	$1,869	$1,426	+$443	131.1%
Hill AFB — Ogden, UT	$2,118	$1,614	+$504	131.2%
Naval Base Ventura County — Point Mugu, CA	$3,537	$2,693	+$844	131.3%
Naval Air Station Patuxent River — Patuxent River, MD	$2,406	$1,833	+$573	131.3%
Sheppard AFB — Wichita Falls, TX	$1,491	$1,136	+$355	131.3%
Naval Station Mayport — Jacksonville, FL	$2,181	$1,658	+$523	131.5%
MCB Quantico — Quantico, VA	$2,955	$2,246	+$709	131.6%
Camp Pendleton — Oceanside, CA	$3,963	$3,001	+$962	132.1%
Robins AFB — Warner Robins, GA	$1,800	$1,362	+$438	132.2%
Tinker AFB — Oklahoma City, OK	$1,644	$1,244	+$400	132.2%
MCRD Parris Island — Beaufort, SC	$2,403	$1,816	+$587	132.3%
Naval Base San Diego — San Diego, CA	$3,975	$3,001	+$974	132.5%
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown — Yorktown, VA	$2,274	$1,713	+$561	132.7%
Minot AFB — Minot, ND	$1,548	$1,165	+$383	132.9%
Aberdeen Proving Ground — Aberdeen, MD	$2,478	$1,857	+$621	133.4%
Joint Base Charleston — Charleston, SC	$2,385	$1,787	+$598	133.5%
Fort Leavenworth — Leavenworth, KS	$1,815	$1,358	+$457	133.7%
Los Angeles AFB (Space Base Delta 3) — El Segundo, CA	$3,882	$2,903	+$979	133.7%
Altus AFB — Altus, OK	$1,254	$937	+$317	133.8%
Mountain Home AFB — Mountain Home, ID	$1,605	$1,192	+$413	134.6%
Fort McCoy — Sparta, WI	$1,395	$1,036	+$359	134.7%
Fort Campbell — Clarksville, KY	$1,815	$1,346	+$469	134.8%
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune — Jacksonville, NC	$1,584	$1,173	+$411	135.0%
Fort Carson — Colorado Springs, CO	$2,358	$1,735	+$623	135.9%
Davis-Monthan AFB — Tucson, AZ	$1,905	$1,402	+$503	135.9%
Buckley Space Force Base — Aurora, CO	$2,841	$2,089	+$752	136.0%
Naval Station Great Lakes — Great Lakes, IL	$2,427	$1,781	+$646	136.3%
Eglin AFB — Valparaiso, FL	$2,433	$1,785	+$648	136.3%
Fort Huachuca — Sierra Vista, AZ	$1,719	$1,257	+$462	136.8%
MacDill AFB — Tampa, FL	$2,709	$1,977	+$732	137.0%
Redstone Arsenal — Huntsville, AL	$1,797	$1,310	+$487	137.2%
Fort Hood — Killeen, TX	$1,695	$1,233	+$462	137.5%
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak — Kodiak, AK	$2,865	$2,075	+$790	138.1%
Laughlin AFB — Del Rio, TX	$1,470	$1,064	+$406	138.2%
Naval Submarine Base New London — Groton, CT	$2,580	$1,866	+$714	138.3%
Schofield Barracks — Wahiawa, HI	$3,663	$2,642	+$1,021	138.6%
Carlisle Barracks — Carlisle, PA	$2,076	$1,493	+$583	139.0%
Fort Leonard Wood — Waynesville, MO	$1,479	$1,062	+$417	139.3%
Fort Belvoir — Fairfax, VA	$3,132	$2,246	+$886	139.4%
Coast Guard Air Station Houston — Houston, TX	$2,193	$1,573	+$620	139.4%
Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport — Gulfport, MS	$1,602	$1,140	+$462	140.5%
Coast Guard Yard — Baltimore, MD	$2,610	$1,857	+$753	140.5%
Coast Guard Sector North Bend — North Bend, OR	$1,779	$1,265	+$514	140.6%
F.E. Warren AFB — Cheyenne, WY	$1,653	$1,174	+$479	140.8%
Coast Guard Station Astoria — Astoria, OR	$2,055	$1,457	+$598	141.0%
Naval Station Norfolk — Norfolk, VA	$2,430	$1,713	+$717	141.9%
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City — Atlantic City, NJ	$2,655	$1,867	+$788	142.2%
Coast Guard Sector San Francisco — San Francisco, CA	$5,127	$3,604	+$1,523	142.3%
Naval Air Station Meridian — Meridian, MS	$1,290	$906	+$384	142.4%
Hanscom AFB — Bedford, MA	$4,188	$2,941	+$1,247	142.4%
Fort Lee (Fort Gregg-Adams) — Petersburg, VA	$2,358	$1,655	+$703	142.5%
Fairchild AFB — Spokane, WA	$2,184	$1,531	+$653	142.7%
NAS JRB New Orleans — Belle Chasse, LA	$1,905	$1,331	+$574	143.1%
Hunter Army Airfield — Savannah, GA	$2,415	$1,680	+$735	143.8%
Fort Liberty (Fort Bragg) — Fayetteville, NC	$1,806	$1,251	+$555	144.4%
Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center — Indian Head, MD	$3,249	$2,246	+$1,003	144.7%
Fort Wainwright — Fairbanks, AK	$2,436	$1,676	+$760	145.3%
Naval Air Station Lemoore — Lemoore, CA	$2,139	$1,469	+$670	145.6%
Patrick Space Force Base — Cocoa Beach, FL	$2,502	$1,709	+$793	146.4%
Fort Jackson — Columbia, SC	$1,878	$1,276	+$602	147.2%
Naval Support Activity Philadelphia — Philadelphia, PA	$2,691	$1,810	+$881	148.7%
Ellsworth AFB — Rapid City, SD	$1,986	$1,336	+$650	148.7%
Fort Eisenhower (Fort Gordon) — Augusta, GA	$1,890	$1,261	+$629	149.9%
Coast Guard Base Miami Beach — Miami Beach, FL	$3,660	$2,436	+$1,224	150.2%
Kirtland AFB — Albuquerque, NM	$2,211	$1,464	+$747	151.0%
Fort Bliss — El Paso, TX	$1,809	$1,191	+$618	151.9%
Naval Weapons Station Earle — Colts Neck, NJ	$3,549	$2,328	+$1,221	152.4%
Offutt AFB — Omaha, NE	$2,085	$1,368	+$717	152.4%
Coast Guard Training Center Cape May — Cape May, NJ	$2,754	$1,792	+$962	153.7%
Travis AFB — Fairfield, CA	$3,369	$2,178	+$1,191	154.7%
Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs — Saratoga Springs, NY	$2,634	$1,702	+$932	154.8%
Dover AFB — Dover, DE	$2,277	$1,470	+$807	154.9%
Fort Knox — Fort Knox, KY	$1,647	$1,056	+$591	156.0%
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst — Wrightstown, NJ	$2,823	$1,810	+$1,013	156.0%
Fort Meade — Fort Meade, MD	$2,901	$1,857	+$1,044	156.2%
Naval Support Activity Crane — Crane, IN	$1,494	$956	+$538	156.3%
MCAS Cherry Point — Havelock, NC	$1,851	$1,184	+$667	156.3%
Fort Moore (Fort Benning) — Columbus, GA	$1,716	$1,088	+$628	157.7%
Naval Support Activity Annapolis — Annapolis, MD	$2,928	$1,857	+$1,071	157.7%
Naval Air Station Key West — Key West, FL	$3,969	$2,504	+$1,465	158.5%
Grand Forks AFB — Grand Forks, ND	$1,731	$1,089	+$642	159.0%
Columbus AFB — Columbus, MS	$1,398	$872	+$526	160.3%
Little Rock AFB — Jacksonville, AR	$1,848	$1,147	+$701	161.1%
Cape Cod Space Force Station — Bourne, MA	$3,924	$2,422	+$1,502	162.0%
Coast Guard Base Boston — Boston, MA	$4,791	$2,941	+$1,850	162.9%
White Sands Missile Range — Las Cruces, NM	$1,701	$1,042	+$659	163.2%
Holloman AFB — Alamogordo, NM	$1,590	$973	+$617	163.4%
Fort Stewart — Hinesville, GA	$2,310	$1,406	+$904	164.3%
Maxwell AFB — Montgomery, AL	$1,683	$1,016	+$667	165.6%
Barksdale AFB — Bossier City, LA	$1,845	$1,111	+$734	166.1%
Rock Island Arsenal — Rock Island, IL	$1,908	$1,143	+$765	166.9%
Whiteman AFB — Knob Noster, MO	$1,611	$965	+$646	166.9%
Naval Support Activity Mid-South — Millington, TN	$2,154	$1,274	+$880	169.1%
Dugway Proving Ground — Dugway, UT	$2,130	$1,241	+$889	171.6%
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay — Kings Bay, GA	$2,133	$1,225	+$908	174.1%
Fort Hamilton — Brooklyn, NY	$5,070	$2,910	+$2,160	174.2%
West Point (USMA) — West Point, NY	$3,468	$1,979	+$1,489	175.2%
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson — Anchorage, AK	$2,874	$1,631	+$1,243	176.2%
Coast Guard Base Ketchikan — Ketchikan, AK	$2,868	$1,625	+$1,243	176.5%
Edwards AFB — Rosamond, CA	$2,658	$1,483	+$1,175	179.2%
Fort A.P. Hill — Bowling Green, VA	$2,313	$1,246	+$1,067	185.6%
New Boston Space Force Station — New Boston, NH	$3,177	$1,698	+$1,479	187.1%
Coast Guard Base Juneau — Juneau, AK	$3,354	$1,758	+$1,596	190.8%
Beale AFB — Marysville, CA	$2,967	$1,550	+$1,417	191.4%
Fort Novosel (Fort Rucker) — Daleville, AL	$1,572	$776	+$796	202.6%
Coast Guard Air Station Sitka — Sitka, AK	$3,210	$1,566	+$1,644	205.0%
Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City — Elizabeth City, NC	$2,508	$1,216	+$1,292	206.3%
Picatinny Arsenal — Wharton, NJ	$4,749	$2,205	+$2,544	215.4%
Arnold AFB — Tullahoma, TN	$2,184	$959	+$1,225	227.7%

Frequently asked questions

Does BAH cover rent in 2026?

In most places, yes — for a modest unit. Across the 149 major military bases in this study, 2026 E-5 BAH (with dependents) covers an average of 143% of HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent and meets or beats that benchmark at 147 of the 149 bases. The exceptions are Twentynine Palms, CA and Barstow, CA. Keep in mind Fair Market Rent reflects a modest (~40th-percentile) unit, so rent for a larger or newer place can still exceed BAH, especially in high-cost metros.

Why doesn't BAH always cover rent?

By law, BAH is set to cover roughly 95% of typical housing costs — service members are expected to absorb about 5% out of pocket by design (since 2019). BAH is also based on a rental survey that lags the market, so in fast-rising rental markets the published rate can trail what people actually pay. This study uses HUD Fair Market Rent as a conservative, federally-published benchmark.

What is the difference between BAH and Fair Market Rent?

BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) is what the military pays service members for off-base housing, set by DoD per Military Housing Area. Fair Market Rent (FMR) is HUD's estimate of the rent for a modest unit in an area, used for federal housing programs. Both are rental-survey-based, which makes FMR a reasonable apples-to-apples benchmark for whether BAH keeps pace with local rent.

Data: 2026 BAH (DoD DTMO) and HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent (HUD User). This study compares published federal figures and is for general information; individual rents vary widely within any market. Figures verified June 2026.