Archived edition (August 2026). Preserved so citations never break. The current edition, refreshed with each BAH cycle, lives at pcsoahu.com/bah-report/.

Named data brief · refreshed with the annual BAH cycle

The BAH Reality Report

One page, updated each BAH cycle: what the Honolulu County allowance actually is, what Oahu pockets actually rent for, and where the gap opens. Every figure dated, sourced, and deliberately rounded — cite it, link it, argue with it.

Edition: August 2026 · BAH effective January 1, 2026

Part 1 — The allowance

One MHA covers the island. The 2026 cycle raised Honolulu County rates by about 4.4%, keeping Oahu among the highest BAH markets in the force.

E-5 with dependents$3,663

E-5 without dependents$2,856

E-6 with dependents$3,912

E-6 without dependents$3,036

Island floor (jr. enlisted, no dep.)$2,598

Island ceiling (sr. officer, w/ dep.)$5,040

DTMO 2026 tables, Honolulu County MHA. These are published anchors we can source; pull your exact pay grade from the DTMO BAH calculator before signing anything. Last refreshed: August 1, 2026

Part 2 — The rents

Aiea1BR $1,900–2,300 · 2BR $2,400–2,900 · 3BR $3,200–3,800

Pearl City2BR $2,400–2,900 · 3BR $3,000–3,600

Salt Lake / Moanalua1BR $1,800–2,300 · 2BR $2,300–2,900

Waipahu2BR $2,000–2,500 · 3BR $2,700–3,300

Mililani2BR $2,500–3,000 · 3BR $3,200–3,900

Ewa Beach / Kapolei3BR $3,000–3,800 · 4BR $3,800–4,500

Wahiawa2BR $1,900–2,400 · 3BR $2,600–3,200

Kaneohe2BR $2,600–3,200 · 3BR $3,400–4,200

Kailua2BR $3,200–4,000 · 3BR $4,000–5,500

Downtown / Kakaako1BR $2,000–2,600 · 2BR $2,800–3,800

Kalihi1BR $1,500–2,000 · 2BR $2,000–2,600

Rent bands compiled from public listing platforms, mid-2026, deliberately rounded. Verify current asking rents directly — pockets move fast in PCS season (May–August). Last refreshed: August 1, 2026

Part 3 — Where the gap opens

Read the two ledgers together and three honest patterns emerge.

The allowance is strongest mid-island. An E-5-with-dependents rate of $3,663 clears typical 3-bedroom bands in Wahiawa, Waipahu, and much of Pearl City and Aiea with room for utilities — which BAH is also meant to cover.

The windward premium is real. Kailua 3-bedroom bands start where the E-6 allowance ends. Families set on windward living should price Kaneohe first and treat Kailua as a deliberate splurge, not a default.

Without-dependents rates map to condos, not houses. $2,856–$3,036 fits the Salt Lake, Kalihi, and downtown 1–2BR bands — the single-service-member market is a condo market, which is why VA condo approval (see the buying guide) matters here more than almost anywhere in the country.

Cite this report

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may quote or chart this report with attribution and a link. Suggested citation:

PCS Oahu, "The BAH Reality Report," August 2026 edition, pcsoahu.com/bah-report/.

Honest limits. Rent bands are compiled from public listing platforms and rounded on purpose; they describe asking rents, not lease outcomes, and PCS-season scarcity moves them. This report is a compass, not a valuation.

Get the next edition first

The report refreshes with every BAH cycle and mid-year when rent bands move. Join the list and it lands in your inbox before it's published here.