Cape May County, NJ: 2026 BAH at a glance
Military Housing Area NJ198 covers 21 ZIP codes in Avalon, Cape May Court House, Cape May Point, Cape May, Dennisville and nearby communities, New Jersey. 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 $2,754 a month, 33% above the median housing area ($2,064), ranking 69 of 338 nationally.
For officers, an O-3 with dependents gets $3,186, ranking 82 of 338 (26% above the $2,529 median). Promotion from E-5 to E-7 adds $360 a month in housing allowance here, before any change in base pay.
Dependents add $582 a month for an E-5 (27% over the $2,172 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 | $2,523 | $1,968 | $555 |
| E-2 | $2,523 | $1,968 | $555 |
| E-3 | $2,523 | $1,968 | $555 |
| E-4 | $2,523 | $1,968 | $555 |
| E-5 | $2,754 | $2,172 | $582 |
| E-6 | $3,072 | $2,313 | $759 |
| E-7 | $3,114 | $2,532 | $582 |
| E-8 | $3,159 | $2,823 | $336 |
| E-9 | $3,312 | $2,913 | $399 |
| W-1 | $3,093 | $2,451 | $642 |
| W-2 | $3,132 | $2,820 | $312 |
| W-3 | $3,189 | $2,925 | $264 |
| W-4 | $3,360 | $3,078 | $282 |
| W-5 | $3,570 | $3,123 | $447 |
| O-1E | $3,117 | $2,751 | $366 |
| O-2E | $3,177 | $2,892 | $285 |
| O-3E | $3,390 | $3,066 | $324 |
| O-1 | $2,799 | $2,289 | $510 |
| O-2 | $3,069 | $2,682 | $387 |
| O-3 | $3,186 | $2,955 | $231 |
| O-4 | $3,639 | $3,108 | $531 |
| O-5 | $3,969 | $3,129 | $840 |
| O-6 | $4,002 | $3,165 | $837 |
| O-7 | $4,032 | $3,222 | $810 |
Official DoD rates for MHA NJ198. 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 78 miles, E-5 with-dependents BAH runs from $2,277 (Dover, DE Area) to $2,823 (Toms River, NJ Area), a spread of $546 a month or $6,552 a year for the same rank.
| Housing area | Distance | E-5 with deps | O-3 with deps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City, NJ Area NJ196 | 24 mi | $2,655 | $3,624 |
| Dover, DE Area DE054 | 38 mi | $2,277 | $3,051 |
| Philadelphia, PA Area PA248 | 56 mi | $2,691 | $3,015 |
| Toms River, NJ Area NJ204 | 59 mi | $2,823 | $3,552 |
| Chestertown, MD Area MD458 | 70 mi | $2,445 | $2,985 |
| Harford County, MD MD127 | 78 mi | $2,478 | $3,072 |
ZIP codes in this housing area
Avalon, NJ
Cape May Court House, NJ
Cape May Point, NJ
Cape May, NJ
Dennisville, NJ
Goshen, NJ
Green Creek, NJ
Marmora, NJ
Ocean City, NJ
Ocean View, NJ
Rio Grande, NJ
Sea Isle City, NJ
South Dennis, NJ
South Seaville, NJ
Stone Harbor, NJ
Strathmere, NJ
Tuckahoe, NJ
Villas, NJ
Whitesboro, NJ
Wildwood, NJ
Woodbine, NJ
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.