2026 Hampton Roads BAH Calculator
Official 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing rates for both Hampton Roads Military Housing Areas, sourced directly from the U.S. Department of Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO). All 24 paygrades, with and without dependents, plus the max home price each rate supports on a 30-year VA loan.
Hampton Roads is split into two Military Housing Areas. Norfolk/Portsmouth pays $108–$225 more per paygrade than Hampton/Newport News, so check the table that matches your duty station before you set a home-buying budget.
VA297 — Peninsula
Hampton / Newport News
Cities: Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Poquoson, James City County
Bases: Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE), Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
VA298 — Southside
Norfolk / Portsmouth
Cities: Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk
Bases: Naval Station Norfolk, NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, NSA Hampton Roads, Dam Neck Annex
The max-home-price column in each table assumes a 0% down VA loan, current 2026 rates, and BAH covering the full PITI payment. Use that number as a ceiling for budgeting, not a target — most clients I close with land 10–15% below their max for breathing room.
Hampton / Newport News (Peninsula)
For service members at Joint Base Langley-Eustis or Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, or buying a home on the Peninsula side of Hampton Roads.
| Paygrade | With dependents | Without dependents | Max home price (with deps) | Max home price (no deps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 (Private / Seaman Recruit) | $2,082/mo | $1,599/mo | $333,000 | $256,000 |
| E-2 | $2,082/mo | $1,599/mo | $333,000 | $256,000 |
| E-3 | $2,082/mo | $1,599/mo | $333,000 | $256,000 |
| E-4 | $2,082/mo | $1,599/mo | $333,000 | $256,000 |
| E-5 | $2,274/mo | $1,779/mo | $364,000 | $285,000 |
| E-6 | $2,421/mo | $1,905/mo | $387,000 | $305,000 |
| E-7 | $2,439/mo | $2,088/mo | $390,000 | $334,000 |
| E-8 | $2,457/mo | $2,310/mo | $393,000 | $370,000 |
| E-9 | $2,571/mo | $2,343/mo | $411,000 | $375,000 |
| W-1 (Warrant Officer) | $2,436/mo | $2,022/mo | $390,000 | $324,000 |
| W-2 | $2,445/mo | $2,307/mo | $391,000 | $369,000 |
| W-3 | $2,478/mo | $2,349/mo | $396,000 | $376,000 |
| W-4 | $2,610/mo | $2,415/mo | $418,000 | $386,000 |
| W-5 | $2,778/mo | $2,439/mo | $444,000 | $390,000 |
| O-1E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,442/mo | $2,271/mo | $391,000 | $363,000 |
| O-2E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,466/mo | $2,334/mo | $395,000 | $373,000 |
| O-3E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,637/mo | $2,409/mo | $422,000 | $385,000 |
| O-1 | $2,301/mo | $1,884/mo | $368,000 | $301,000 |
| O-2 | $2,418/mo | $2,214/mo | $387,000 | $354,000 |
| O-3 | $2,475/mo | $2,361/mo | $396,000 | $378,000 |
| O-4 | $2,835/mo | $2,427/mo | $454,000 | $388,000 |
| O-5 | $3,099/mo | $2,442/mo | $496,000 | $391,000 |
| O-6 | $3,123/mo | $2,451/mo | $500,000 | $392,000 |
| O-7+ | $3,144/mo | $2,493/mo | $503,000 | $399,000 |
Norfolk / Portsmouth (Southside)
For service members at Naval Station Norfolk, NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, NMC Portsmouth, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, CGB Portsmouth, NSA Hampton Roads, or Dam Neck Annex — or buying in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, or Suffolk.
| Paygrade | With dependents | Without dependents | Max home price (with deps) | Max home price (no deps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 (Private / Seaman Recruit) | $2,229/mo | $1,707/mo | $357,000 | $273,000 |
| E-2 | $2,229/mo | $1,707/mo | $357,000 | $273,000 |
| E-3 | $2,229/mo | $1,707/mo | $357,000 | $273,000 |
| E-4 | $2,229/mo | $1,707/mo | $357,000 | $273,000 |
| E-5 | $2,430/mo | $1,908/mo | $389,000 | $305,000 |
| E-6 | $2,559/mo | $2,043/mo | $409,000 | $327,000 |
| E-7 | $2,604/mo | $2,235/mo | $417,000 | $358,000 |
| E-8 | $2,661/mo | $2,463/mo | $426,000 | $394,000 |
| E-9 | $2,796/mo | $2,487/mo | $447,000 | $398,000 |
| W-1 (Warrant Officer) | $2,574/mo | $2,166/mo | $412,000 | $347,000 |
| W-2 | $2,628/mo | $2,460/mo | $420,000 | $394,000 |
| W-3 | $2,697/mo | $2,496/mo | $432,000 | $399,000 |
| W-4 | $2,832/mo | $2,562/mo | $453,000 | $410,000 |
| W-5 | $3,000/mo | $2,616/mo | $480,000 | $419,000 |
| O-1E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,613/mo | $2,427/mo | $418,000 | $388,000 |
| O-2E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,685/mo | $2,481/mo | $430,000 | $397,000 |
| O-3E (Prior Enlisted) | $2,859/mo | $2,547/mo | $457,000 | $408,000 |
| O-1 | $2,454/mo | $2,022/mo | $393,000 | $324,000 |
| O-2 | $2,556/mo | $2,367/mo | $409,000 | $379,000 |
| O-3 | $2,694/mo | $2,505/mo | $431,000 | $401,000 |
| O-4 | $3,054/mo | $2,601/mo | $489,000 | $416,000 |
| O-5 | $3,318/mo | $2,625/mo | $531,000 | $420,000 |
| O-6 | $3,342/mo | $2,673/mo | $535,000 | $428,000 |
| O-7+ | $3,366/mo | $2,718/mo | $539,000 | $435,000 |
Source: Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), U.S. Department of Defense — 2026 BAH Rates, effective January 1, 2026. Rates above are reproduced verbatim from the DTMO annual rate table for MHAs VA297 and VA298. View the DTMO BAH Rate Lookup to verify or look up rates for other locations.
Max home price formula: BAH × 160, rounded to the nearest $1,000. Assumes 30-year fixed VA loan at current 2026 rates, no other debt, taxes and insurance included in payment, and BAH covering 100% of PITI. Actual loan approval depends on credit, total debt, and lender overlays.
How to Use This Number
1. Treat it as a ceiling, not a target
Buying at your max BAH leaves zero margin if rates spike, HOA increases, or you want to refi. Most sailors I close with target 85-90% of max.
2. Add property tax + insurance into the math
Hampton Roads property tax rates run 0.97% (Virginia Beach) to 1.25% (Norfolk effective rate) depending on city. Homeowners insurance averages $1,400-$2,200/year. Flood insurance adds $0-$2,400/year depending on zone.
Source: City tax assessor offices, 2025. Hampton Roads property tax comparison.
3. Pre-approval beats pre-qualification
A pre-qual is a back-of-the-napkin estimate. A pre-approval has your credit pulled, income verified, and gives you a real ceiling. Sellers in Hampton Roads will not entertain a pre-qual offer.
4. BAH ends if you separate or PCS without orders
Plan your purchase against the timeline of your enlistment or commission, not just your current orders. If you might EAS in 2 years, factor that in.
Want a real pre-approval?
I work with three Hampton Roads VA-specialist lenders. I will route you to the best fit based on credit and timeline.
Related
About the Hampton Roads Real Estate Market
Hampton Roads is one of the most dynamic real estate markets on the East Coast, anchored by the largest naval complex in the world at Naval Station Norfolk and home to roughly 120,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian Department of Defense personnel. The region spans seven cities — Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Newport News — plus the Peninsula communities of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Poquoson, with each market carrying its own personality, school district, and price profile.
Buying or selling here means thinking about more than just a house. Tidewater geography means flood zones, hurricane preparation, and waterfront premiums matter. Military presence means BAH affordability, PCS season inventory crunches (May through August), and VA loan eligibility are top of mind for a meaningful share of every neighborhood. School quality varies block by block, especially across the seven independent city school divisions, and is often the deciding factor for relocating families.
Why Buyers and Sellers Choose VaHome
The VaHome Team — Tom and Dariya Milan with LPT Realty — focuses on the Hampton Roads region with deep expertise in military relocation, VA financing, and the trade-offs that local buyers actually face. From listing strategy that gets your home in front of the right relocating buyer to buyer representation that respects your BAH cap and PCS timeline, the team treats every transaction as a long-term relationship. The site is built to make decisions clearer: BAH-aware search, drive-time mapping to every major installation, neighborhood guides written by people who live here, and a calculator that shows real monthly cost — taxes, insurance, HOA, and PMI included — instead of a teaser headline number.
Plan Your Next Move
Whether you are buying your first home with a VA loan, moving up while your kids transition between school districts, or selling a Hampton Roads property to relocate to your next duty station, the resources on this site are organized around the questions you are actually asking. Browse listings filtered by base proximity, paygrade-aware BAH cap, and commute time. Read neighborhood guides for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, and the Peninsula communities. Use the mortgage calculator to compare conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and jumbo loan scenarios side by side. When you are ready to talk, the contact form goes directly to a specialist who knows the area, the lenders, and the timing.