What is E-4 BAH at San Diego in 2026?

$3,666 per month with dependents ($43,992 per year), effective 01 JAN 2026. without dependents it is $2,763 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-4 BAH at San Diego 2026 — $3,666/mo with dependents

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

San Diego, CA

E-4 · with dependents

$3,666/ month

$43,992 / year

At E-4, this is #1 of 17 stations loaded · high San Diego $3,666 · low Fort Riley $1,272

MHA CA038 · ZIPs 92101 92132 92136

Your grade is calledARMYSPC / CPLUSMCCplNAVYPO3USAFSrA

Untaxed — matching it with taxable pay takes$4,700 / mo gross

Other dependency status here$2,763 without dependents

In government quarters, no dependents$50.10 / mo partial

MHA

One MHA covers the county — 32nd Street, Coronado, North Island, Miramar and MCRD all draw the same rate.

San Diego — full sheetTap a row

Grade	With dep.	Without
Enlisted
E-1	$3,666	$2,763
E-2	$3,666	$2,763
E-3	$3,666	$2,763
E-4	$3,666	$2,763
E-5	$3,975	$3,147
E-6	$4,404	$3,387
E-7	$4,446	$3,678
E-8	$4,488	$4,065
E-9	$4,671	$4,188
Warrant officer
W-1	$4,425	$3,564
W-2	$4,464	$4,062
W-3	$4,521	$4,206
W-4	$4,731	$4,410
W-5	$4,992	$4,455
Officer — prior enlisted
O-1E	$4,449	$3,972
O-2E	$4,506	$4,161
O-3E	$4,770	$4,398
Officer
O-1	$4,032	$3,351
O-2	$4,401	$3,873
O-3	$4,518	$4,248
O-4	$5,082	$4,440
O-5	$5,493	$4,458
O-6	$5,541	$4,494
O-7	$5,586	$4,575

What this rate means

E-4 with dependents, every station0 – $3,666 / month

San Diego$3,666

Camp Pendleton$3,627

Honolulu County$3,333

JB Lewis-McChord$2,370

JB Elmendorf-Richardson$2,277

Norfolk$2,229

Fort Stewart$2,175

Fort Carson$2,160

Fort Campbell$1,743

San Antonio (JBSA)$1,728

Fort Bragg$1,722

Fort Bliss$1,665

Fort Hood$1,662

Fort Benning$1,635

Camp Lejeune$1,578

Fort Drum$1,569

Fort Riley$1,272

San Diego is #1 of 17. The spread between the dearest and cheapest station at this grade is $2,394 a month — $28,728 a year, untaxed.

Every pay grade at San Diego0 – $5,586 / month

E-1$3,666

E-2$3,666

E-3$3,666

E-4$3,666

E-5$3,975

E-6$4,404

E-7$4,446

E-8$4,488

E-9$4,671

W-1$4,425

W-2$4,464

W-3$4,521

W-4$4,731

W-5$4,992

O-1E$4,449

O-2E$4,506

O-3E$4,770

O-1$4,032

O-2$4,401

O-3$4,518

O-4$5,082

O-5$5,493

O-6$5,541

O-7$5,586

Promoting to E-5 here adds $309 a month. The pay chart moves this allowance far less than the map does.

Dependency status is worth 33% 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. $3,666 a month of BAH takes more than $3,666 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-4 with dependents at San Diego draws $3,666 per month in 2026

What this rate means

Things the rate table doesn't tell you