Moanalua ridge · Honolulu County MHA
Tripler Army Medical Center: live on or off?
The pink hospital on the ridge is its own duty station with its own rhythm — shift work, on-call, and a workforce that prizes minutes-to-parking over square footage. The close-in condo pockets are the play.
The allowance side of the ledger
Your BAH here is the same as every other Oahu installation — one county-wide rate set by rank and dependents. The decision is whether your grade's number covers a pocket you can actually commute from, or whether the on-base waitlist (contact the housing office the day orders drop) is the better bridge.
E-5 with dependents$3,663
E-6 with dependents$3,912
E-5 / E-6 without dependents$2,856 / $3,036
DTMO 2026 Honolulu County tables, effective January 1, 2026. Anchors only — pull your exact grade from the DTMO calculator. Last refreshed: August 1, 2026The rent side, by commute-real pocket
Salt Lake / Moanalua1BR $1,800–2,300 · 2BR $2,300–2,900
Aiea1BR $1,900–2,300 · 2BR $2,400–2,900 · 3BR $3,200–3,800
Kalihi1BR $1,500–2,000 · 2BR $2,000–2,600
Downtown / Kakaako1BR $2,000–2,600 · 2BR $2,800–3,800
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, 2026Commute reality
| What the drive is actually like | |
|---|---|
| Salt Lake / Moanalua | 5–15 min; the default for hospital staff |
| Aiea | 10–15 min; more house for the money |
| Kalihi | 10–15 min; lowest close-in bands on the island |
| Downtown / Kakaako | 15–30 min; urban option for single service members |
Field note. If you're on nights, tour your shortlist at your actual commute hours — Moanalua Freeway behavior flips completely by time of day.
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