BAH 2026 · housing area
BAH at Camp Pendleton for 2026
The 2026 housing allowance of the Camp Pendleton housing area in north San Diego County, one of the highest of the Marine Corps, and how it lines up with San Diego next door.
BAH 2026 in Camp Pendleton
E-5 with dependents
$3,963
| Per year, tax free | $47,556 |
| Without dependents | $3,093 |
| Difference | $870 |
A Marine E-5 with dependents at Camp Pendleton receives $3,963 a month of BAH in 2026 and $3,093 without dependents; a married O-3 receives $4,659. The Camp Pendleton, CA housing area (CA024) of the Defense Travel Management Office is small, 21 ZIP codes, centered on Oceanside and the north of San Diego County around the base, including communities such as Vista and Fallbrook. It ranks 14 of 338 housing areas for the E-5 family rate, near the very top, and its rates sit close to those of the San Diego area just south: the E-5 family rate is $12 lower, but the O-3 rate is $141 higher. Junior enlisted families receive $3,627. Rates rose about 1.1% for an E-5 from 2025, and more for officers.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Camp Pendleton BAH by grade
| Grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $3,627 | $2,739 |
| E-4 | $3,627 | $2,739 |
| E-5 | $3,963 | $3,093 |
| E-6 | $4,398 | $3,324 |
| E-7 | $4,494 | $3,642 |
| E-8 | $4,596 | $4,056 |
| E-9 | $4,779 | $4,182 |
| W-1 | $4,419 | $3,513 |
| W-2 | $4,536 | $4,053 |
| O-1 | $4,023 | $3,285 |
| O-2 | $4,395 | $3,855 |
| O-3 | $4,659 | $4,239 |
| O-4 | $5,085 | $4,494 |
| O-5 | $5,391 | $4,548 |
| O-6 | $5,439 | $4,641 |
Pendleton and San Diego, grade by grade
| Grade | Camp Pendleton | San Diego | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $3,627 | $3,666 | −$39 |
| E-5 | $3,963 | $3,975 | −$12 |
| E-6 | $4,398 | $4,404 | −$6 |
| E-7 | $4,494 | $4,446 | +$48 |
| E-9 | $4,779 | $4,671 | +$108 |
| O-1 | $4,023 | $4,032 | −$9 |
| O-3 | $4,659 | $4,518 | +$141 |
| O-5 | $5,391 | $5,493 | −$102 |
The two areas are neighbors and their rates are close, but the differences go both ways and change from grade to grade: in 2026 an E-9 or an O-3 family receives more at Pendleton, an E-4 or an O-5 family less. A Marine who moves from Pendleton to an assignment at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego or Miramar, both in the San Diego area, will see a small change in either direction depending on grade.
Southern California Marine bases
| Housing area | E-5 with dependents | E-7 with dependents | O-3 with dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Pendleton | $3,963 | $4,494 | $4,659 |
| San Diego | $3,975 | $4,446 | $4,518 |
| Riverside | $3,351 | $3,603 | $3,705 |
| Twentynine Palms | $1,980 | $2,649 | $2,814 |
| El Centro | $1,986 | $2,334 | $2,664 |
The desert bases are a different world: Twentynine Palms and El Centro pay a fraction of the coastal rates. Riverside covers March Air Reserve Base and inland communities. Orders from Pendleton to the desert lower BAH sharply, while basic pay stays the same.
2025 to 2026 and what the rate covers
From 2025, the E-5 family rate went from $3,921 to $3,963 and the O-3 rate from $4,551 to $4,659. In the DTMO's 2026 component breakdown, rent makes up about 90% of the housing cost of the area and utilities 10%, a rent share typical of coastal California. The rate is set 5% below that cost. Families in privatized housing on base hand the allowance over as rent. The military pay calculator adds BAH to basic pay and BAS, and the San Diego page covers the Navy and Marine commands south of the base.
Where the area boundary runs
The 21 ZIP codes of the area run from 92003 to 92672. Besides Oceanside and the base itself, they include Fallbrook to the east, Vista, San Marcos's northern edge in 92069 and part of Carlsbad. The boundary with the San Diego area is not a city limit: in Carlsbad, the northern ZIP code 92008 is in the Pendleton area, the southern ones in San Diego, and Encinitas (92024) is in San Diego. This matters for Marines and sailors assigned to commands on the edge of the two areas, since the ZIP code of the command, not of the home, sets the rate.
Junior Marines and the family rate
Camp Pendleton is home to large numbers of junior enlisted Marines, and the family rate for E-1 to E-4, $3,627, is one of the highest junior rates of the Corps. Single Marines in those grades generally live in barracks; when a junior Marine marries, the with-dependents rate starts from the date of the marriage once the finance office has the certificate, and the move out of the barracks follows the command's housing policy.