What is E-5 BAH at Outer Banks in 2026?

$2,604 per month with dependents ($31,248 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,142 per month.

Does BAH count as taxable income?

No. BAH is excluded from federal taxable income, so a given BAH amount is worth more than the same figure in basic pay.

What happens if my BAH rate drops this year?

BAH rate protection holds you at the prior year's amount as long as your duty location, pay grade and dependency status stay the same. The lower rate applies to members arriving on new orders.

E-5 BAH at Outer Banks 2026 — $2,604/mo with dependents

Basic Allowance for Housing by duty station, pay grade and dependency status. Official DoD rates, no login, no email.

Outer Banks, NC

E-5 · with dependents

$2,604/ month

$31,248 / year

At E-5, this is #84 of 338 stations loaded · high San Francisco $5,127 · low Anniston $1,185

MHA NC176 · ZIPs 27824 27826 27875 27885 27915 27920 +13 more

Your grade is calledARMYSGTUSMCSgtNAVYPO2USAFSSgt

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$3,338 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,142 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

Outer Banks — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$2,460	$1,845
E-2	$2,460	$1,845
E-3	$2,460	$1,845
E-4	$2,460	$1,845
E-5	$2,604	$2,142
E-6	$2,946	$2,325
E-7	$2,997	$2,463
E-8	$3,051	$2,679
E-9	$3,186	$2,772
Warrant officer
W-1	$2,964	$2,421
W-2	$3,018	$2,676
W-3	$3,090	$2,787
W-4	$3,219	$2,952
W-5	$3,387	$3,006
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$3,003	$2,601
O-2E	$3,075	$2,751
O-3E	$3,246	$2,937
Officer
O-1	$2,652	$2,313
O-2	$2,943	$2,562
O-3	$3,087	$2,820
O-4	$3,438	$2,991
O-5	$3,696	$3,018
O-6	$3,726	$3,066
O-7	$3,753	$3,120

What this rate means

E-5 with dependents, nearest stations0 – $5,127 / month

San Francisco$5,127

County Cost Group 870$2,652

Ballston Spa$2,634

Baltimore$2,610

Milwaukee$2,607

Outer Banks$2,604

New London$2,580

Ann Arbor$2,559

JB Lewis-McChord$2,556

Stockton$2,553

Anniston$1,185

Outer Banks is #84 of 338. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $3,942 a month — $47,304 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at Outer Banks0 – $3,753 / month

E-1$2,460

E-2$2,460

E-3$2,460

E-4$2,460

E-5$2,604

E-6$2,946

E-7$2,997

E-8$3,051

E-9$3,186

W-1$2,964

W-2$3,018

W-3$3,090

W-4$3,219

W-5$3,387

O-1E$3,003

O-2E$3,075

O-3E$3,246

O-1$2,652

O-2$2,943

O-3$3,087

O-4$3,438

O-5$3,696

O-6$3,726

O-7$3,753

Promoting to E-6 here adds $342 a month. The pay chart moves this allowance far less than the map does.

Where you are stationed outweighs what you are paid. Moving from Outer Banks to San Francisco at E-5 is worth $2,523 a month — about 7 promotions worth of housing allowance, at $342 per grade here.

Dependency status is worth 22% here. That is a status your finance office determines, not a box you tick — and it is the single largest lever on this page that is not a change of address.

None of it is taxed. $2,604 a month of BAH takes more than $2,604 of basic pay to match, which is why comparing a civilian salary against military base pay alone understates the gap.

Things the rate table doesn't tell you

“With dependents” is a dependency status, not a marital status. A single member paying child support can be authorized BAH-Diff; a married dual-military couple with no children is not automatically the with-dependents rate for both. If your situation is unusual, your finance office decides — not this table.

O-8, O-9 and O-10 draw the same BAH as O-7. The table stops there for a reason, not because it is missing rows.

This is CONUS BAH only. Overseas is OHA, which works differently — it reimburses actual rent up to a cap, with separate utility and move-in allowances. Alaska and Hawaii are BAH; Germany, Japan and Korea are OHA.

E-5 with dependents at Outer Banks draws $2,604 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you