Des Moines, IA: 2026 BAH at a glance
Military Housing Area IA082 covers 76 ZIP codes in Des Moines, Urbandale, Ankeny, West Des Moines, Alleman and nearby communities, Iowa. BAH is set by your duty station's ZIP code, not where you choose to live, so this table applies to anyone assigned inside it.
An E-5 with dependents here receives $1,770 a month, 14% below the median housing area ($2,064), ranking 230 of 338 nationally.
For officers, an O-3 with dependents gets $2,433, ranking 193 of 338 (4% below the $2,529 median). Promotion from E-5 to E-7 adds $522 a month in housing allowance here, before any change in base pay.
Dependents add $411 a month for an E-5 (30% over the $1,359 single rate), more than the typical $375 gap nationally. The with-dependents rate is the same whether you have one dependent or five.
2026 BAH rates for every grade
Monthly, effective January 1, 2026. "Difference" is what dependents add at each grade.
| Grade | With dependents | Without | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $1,593 | $1,284 | $309 |
| E-2 | $1,593 | $1,284 | $309 |
| E-3 | $1,593 | $1,284 | $309 |
| E-4 | $1,593 | $1,284 | $309 |
| E-5 | $1,770 | $1,359 | $411 |
| E-6 | $2,208 | $1,656 | $552 |
| E-7 | $2,292 | $1,719 | $573 |
| E-8 | $2,379 | $1,863 | $516 |
| E-9 | $2,511 | $1,989 | $522 |
| W-1 | $2,229 | $1,674 | $555 |
| W-2 | $2,328 | $1,860 | $468 |
| W-3 | $2,436 | $2,007 | $429 |
| W-4 | $2,538 | $2,223 | $315 |
| W-5 | $2,667 | $2,310 | $357 |
| O-1E | $2,304 | $1,767 | $537 |
| O-2E | $2,418 | $1,962 | $456 |
| O-3E | $2,559 | $2,202 | $357 |
| O-1 | $1,830 | $1,413 | $417 |
| O-2 | $2,205 | $1,722 | $483 |
| O-3 | $2,433 | $2,049 | $384 |
| O-4 | $2,706 | $2,289 | $417 |
| O-5 | $2,904 | $2,334 | $570 |
| O-6 | $2,925 | $2,415 | $510 |
| O-7 | $2,943 | $2,454 | $489 |
Official DoD rates for MHA IA082. If rates in an area fall, members already there keep their higher rate (rate protection) until they PCS or their eligibility changes. 2027 rates are normally announced in mid-December: what to expect.
Nearby housing areas
The closest other MHAs by ZIP-code center. Your BAH follows your duty ZIP, but these show how the rate changes across the region if you are choosing between assignments.
Within about 204 miles, E-5 with-dependents BAH runs from $1,611 (Sedalia, MO Area) to $2,085 (Omaha, NE Area), a spread of $474 a month or $5,688 a year for the same rank.
| Housing area | Distance | E-5 with deps | O-3 with deps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE Area NE192 | 127 mi | $2,085 | $2,601 |
| Davenport, IA Area IL089 | 157 mi | $1,908 | $2,298 |
| Lincoln, NE NE193 | 171 mi | $1,788 | $2,280 |
| Fort Leavenworth (Leavenworth, KS) KS102 | 175 mi | $1,815 | $2,394 |
| Overland Park, KS Area MO160 | 189 mi | $1,986 | $2,310 |
| Sedalia, MO Area MO162 | 204 mi | $1,611 | $2,244 |
ZIP codes in this housing area
Des Moines, IA
Urbandale, IA
Ankeny, IA
West Des Moines, IA
Alleman, IA
Altoona, IA
Berwick, IA
Bondurant, IA
Clive, IA
Elkhart, IA
Grimes, IA
Johnston, IA
Mitchellville, IA
Pleasant Hill, IA
Polk City, IA
Runnells, IA
Sheldahl, IA
Windsor Heights, IA
Using this rate
- Find your exact rate by duty ZIP, grade and dependency status in the BAH calculator.
- Moving here? Price the move and your PPM in the PCS calculator, and test renting against buying in the rent vs buy calculator.
- See BAH with base pay and BAS as one number in the compensation calculator.
Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), matched to the official DoD ZIP-to-MHA mapping. Rates: DoD BAH rate file effective January 1, 2026.