2026 JBSA BAH Rates - San Antonio Military Housing Allowance Guide
LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 13, 2026 | BY CHRISTOPHER BEAL, U.S. ARMY VETERAN & REALTOR
Short answer: 2026 BAH at Joint Base San Antonio runs from $1,359 a month (E-1 to E-4 without dependents) to $2,490 a month (O-7 and above with dependents). Every JBSA installation falls in the same Military Housing Area, SAN ANTONIO, TX (TX285), so the rate is the same whether you report to Lackland, Randolph, Fort Sam Houston or Camp Bullis. For the three grades I compared, 2026 rates are 2.7 to 3.4 percent lower than 2025. BAH is not designed to cover every housing cost, so budget against the full monthly cost of a specific home (mortgage, the property tax for that address, insurance, and any HOA, MUD or PID), not the allowance alone.
I'm Christopher Beal, a U.S. Army veteran, REALTOR (TREC License #723559) and Owner of Veteran Real Estate San Antonio, brokered by eXp Realty. Full bio and credentials.
2026 JBSA BAH Rates by Pay Grade
Enlisted
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 to E-4 | $1,728/mo | $1,359/mo |
| E-5 | $1,869/mo | $1,500/mo |
| E-6 | $2,094/mo | $1,596/mo |
| E-7 | $2,112/mo | $1,731/mo |
| E-8 | $2,121/mo | $1,920/mo |
| E-9 | $2,157/mo | $1,977/mo |
Warrant officers
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| W-1 | $2,109/mo | $1,692/mo |
| W-2 | $2,118/mo | $1,917/mo |
| W-3 | $2,130/mo | $1,986/mo |
| W-4 | $2,178/mo | $2,085/mo |
| W-5 | $2,280/mo | $2,097/mo |
Officers
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| O-1 | $1,905/mo | $1,584/mo |
| O-2 | $2,091/mo | $1,827/mo |
| O-3 | $2,127/mo | $2,007/mo |
| O-4 | $2,307/mo | $2,088/mo |
| O-5 | $2,457/mo | $2,100/mo |
| O-6 | $2,475/mo | $2,103/mo |
| O-7 and above (O-7+) | $2,490/mo | $2,112/mo |
| O-1E | $2,115/mo | $1,866/mo |
| O-2E | $2,124/mo | $1,965/mo |
| O-3E | $2,196/mo | $2,082/mo |
Source: Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) BAH rate lookup, calendar year 2026, ZIP 78236, Military Housing Area SAN ANTONIO, TX (TX285). Every pay grade above was checked against the lookup on October 13, 2026. Rates are monthly. Confirm your own rate with the DTMO BAH lookup.
The MHA check is not an assumption: on September 14, 2026 the DTMO lookup returned SAN ANTONIO, TX (TX285) and the same E-5 with-dependents rate for ZIPs 78236 (Lackland), 78234 (Fort Sam Houston), 78150 (Randolph) and 78257 (near Camp Bullis).
Did JBSA BAH Go Up or Down in 2026?
Down, for the grades I compared. The DTMO lookup for the same housing area shows:
| Pay grade (with dependents) | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-5 | $1,935 | $1,869 | -3.4% |
| E-7 | $2,172 | $2,112 | -2.8% |
| O-3 | $2,187 | $2,127 | -2.7% |
Source: DTMO BAH lookup, CY2025 and CY2026, ZIP 78236, checked September 14, 2026 (2026 values re-checked October 13, 2026). Only these three grades were compared.
Rate protection. If you were already at JBSA and drawing BAH, individual rate protection generally keeps your higher 2025 rate. It ends if you PCS, are reduced in pay grade, or change dependency status, per the DoD's Basic Allowance for Housing page. If you are inbound on orders, budget on the 2026 published rate. Your finance office confirms your individual entitlement.
How Lenders Count BAH on a VA Loan
BAH is verified income for a VA loan. Because it is not taxed, VA's regulation allows a lender to make a documented adjustment to verified nontaxable income when it calculates your debt-to-income ratio (38 CFR 36.4340(f)(4)), and VA's residual-income test still uses your actual income. How much adjustment a lender applies is its own practice, so ask each lender how it treats BAH. A larger qualifying number is not more spendable money: the same dollars still have to pay the mortgage.
The Real Monthly Cost: What BAH Has to Cover
Two homes at the same price can carry very different monthly costs. Before you compare a house to your BAH, add up:
- Principal and interest, from your lender's Loan Estimate. If you pay the VA funding fee, it is often financed into the loan. VA lists 2.15 percent for a first-use purchase with less than 5 percent down and 3.3 percent for later use, and you are exempt if you receive VA disability compensation, among other cases (VA.gov, updated October 5, 2026). See my VA funding fee guide.
- Property tax for that exact address. The rate is the sum of every taxing unit on the property, so it changes across city, school district and county lines. One common combination in Bexar County (City of San Antonio, Northside ISD, Bexar County including Road and Flood, Alamo Colleges, the Hospital District and the San Antonio River Authority) adds up to $2.267474 per $100 of taxable value for 2025, from Bexar County's official 2025 rate table. Homes in Comal or Guadalupe County, in another city, or in a municipal utility district (MUD) or public improvement district (PID) carry different stacks. Check the address on the Bexar Appraisal District site and read my MUD and PID guide.
- Homeowners insurance, quoted for the specific house before your option period ends. Roof age and claims history change the price.
- HOA, MUD or PID charges that are billed separately from the tax bill.
- A first-year reserve for repairs the VA appraisal or your inspection does not require but you will still face, such as an aging water heater or HVAC system.
Illustrative example: what the payment looks like at real San Antonio prices
This is hypothetical math, not a loan quote. Assumptions: zero down, the 2.15 percent first-use funding fee financed, a 30-year fixed rate of 7.40 percent (Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey average for October 8, 2026; VA rates are quoted by lenders and are often different), and property tax at the $2.267474 per $100 stack above, applied to the full price with no exemptions. Insurance, HOA and any MUD or PID charges are not included.
| Home price | Loan with funding fee | Principal and interest | Property tax | Total before insurance and HOA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $239,500 (ZIP 78233 Q3 2026 median) | $244,649 | $1,694 | $453 | $2,147 |
| $245,000 (ZIP 78148 Q3 2026 median) | $250,268 | $1,733 | $463 | $2,196 |
| $290,999 (ZIP 78245 Q3 2026 median) | $297,255 | $2,058 | $550 | $2,608 |
| $317,000 (ZIP 78253 Q3 2026 median) | $323,816 | $2,242 | $599 | $2,841 |
Arithmetic: loan = price x 1.0215; principal and interest from the standard 360-payment amortization formula at 7.40 percent; monthly tax = price x 2.267474 percent / 12. Prices are the complete third-quarter 2026 medians in the next section. Compare the last column, plus insurance and HOA, with your own BAH from the tables above and with what a lender approves for your whole file.
What Homes Closed For Near Each Gate (Q3 2026)
| ZIP (area) | Closed sales | Median close price |
|---|---|---|
| 78245 (far west side, near JBSA-Lackland) | 522 | $290,999 |
| 78253 (Alamo Ranch area, northwest) | 554 | $317,000 |
| 78148 (Universal City, near JBSA-Randolph) | 60 | $245,000 |
| 78233 (northeast, toward Fort Sam Houston and Randolph) | 126 | $239,500 |
Source: SABOR/LERA MLS, pulled October 13, 2026. Filters: closed residential (RE) sales, close dates July 1 through September 30, 2026, ZIP code as listed. Every record was counted, with no sample cap, and the median is the middle closed price (the average of the two middle sales when the count is even). These are all residential sales in each ZIP, not a specific neighborhood or home type.
The spread between these ZIP codes is larger than any change in the BAH table, so where you buy moves your monthly cost more than the allowance does. Pull recent sales for the specific street before you set a budget. If you are moving on orders, my PCS to San Antonio guide covers timing.
The Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption
If you have a 100 percent disability rating or are paid at the 100 percent rate through individual unemployability, Texas exempts your homestead from property tax under Tax Code Section 11.131 once you apply and qualify. Lower ratings qualify for a smaller exemption. Either one changes the tax line in the example above. The rules, forms and timing are in my Texas disabled veteran property tax exemption guide.
Four BAH Budgeting Mistakes
- Treating BAH as a spending target. It is what you receive, not what you must spend. A payment below your BAH leaves room for everything else.
- Comparing BAH to principal and interest only. Tax, insurance and HOA are often a large share of the payment in Texas.
- Assuming one tax rate. Two homes a few miles apart can sit in different cities, school districts or MUDs.
- Skipping the exemption filings. File for the homestead exemption, and the disabled veteran exemption if it applies, with your county appraisal district.
VA allows a seller to pay concessions of up to 4 percent of the home's reasonable value, the figure on the VA Notice of Value; normal closing costs paid by the seller are counted separately. My VA loan closing costs guide explains the difference. I'm a REALTOR, not a lender or financial advisor; your lender sets your loan terms.
Watch: Will Your BAH Cover a San Antonio Mortgage?
Next step: Send me your BAH, your lender's pre-approval and the ZIP codes you're considering, and I'll go through the full monthly cost of specific homes with you before you tour. Call (210) 882-8583, or start with my military relocation services.
About the Author: Christopher Beal
Christopher Beal is a U.S. Army veteran and the Owner of Veteran Real Estate San Antonio, a Beal Group practice brokered by eXp Realty (TREC License #723559). A Military Relocation Professional (MRP) and VAREP member, he is a 7-time eXp Realty ICON agent, winner of Best Real Estate Agency in the 2026 Best of San Antonio Readers' Choice (San Antonio Current, 100,000+ voters), and a 3x San Antonio Business Journal Top 25 Individual Agent (#13 in 2024, #14 in 2025, #20 in 2026). His recognition also includes 3x Platinum Top 50, 2x RateMyAgent Agent of the Year, 2x Real Producers Top 100, Five Star Professional (2026), and a RealTrends 2026 ranking. He has helped 325+ families, closed more than $125M in career volume, and holds 5.0 stars across 370+ verified reviews, working almost exclusively with military and veteran buyers and sellers across Bexar, Comal, Kendall, Medina, and Bandera counties, with a focus on VA loans, PCS moves, and homebuying near JBSA-Lackland, JBSA-Randolph, and Fort Sam Houston. He walks JBSA buyers through the BAH-to-payment math before they ever tour a house. He can be reached at (210) 882-8583.
Questions About JBSA BAH
Is BAH the same at Lackland, Randolph, Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis?
Yes. All four fall in the SAN ANTONIO, TX (TX285) Military Housing Area, so the 2026 rate for your pay grade and dependency status is the same at each.
Will my BAH cover a mortgage in San Antonio?
It depends on the price, rate, the tax stack for that address, insurance and HOA. BAH is not designed to cover every housing cost. Use the example above with your own numbers and your lender's Loan Estimate.
Can a lender count BAH to qualify me for a VA loan?
Yes, as verified income. VA's regulation allows a documented adjustment to nontaxable income for the debt-to-income ratio; how much a lender applies varies, so ask.
Do I keep receiving BAH if I buy instead of rent?
BAH depends on your eligibility and not living in government quarters, not on whether you rent or own. Confirm your entitlement with your finance office.
What happens to my BAH when I PCS away from JBSA?
Your rate changes to the new duty station's rate, and individual rate protection for the San Antonio rate ends. Whether you can keep the home as a rental is a separate question; see my VA loan occupancy guide.
Related Guides
Categories
- All Blogs (355)
- Alamo Heights (4)
- awards (4)
- Best Neighborhoods in San Antonio (13)
- Buyer (16)
- Buyer Education (87)
- Community Events (4)
- Hill Country (17)
- JBSA (46)
- Local Guide (6)
- Luxury (28)
- Luxury Real Estate (26)
- Market Trends (19)
- Market Update (14)
- Military Relocation (114)
- Military Retirement (3)
- Mortgage (19)
- Neighborhood Guides (19)
- neighborhoods (5)
- New Construction (16)
- PCS (42)
- Real Estate (40)
- reviews (3)
- San Antonio (53)
- San Antonio Lifestyle (4)
- San Antonio Market (5)
- San Antonio Neighborhoods (45)
- San Antonio Real Estate (98)
- San Antonio, Veterans Resources, VA Loans (5)
- Seller (55)
- VA Home Loans (30)
- VA Loans (35)
- Va Loans & Financing (27)
- Veterans (10)
- Veterans Resources (40)
Recent Posts
