Providence, RI Area: 2026 BAH at a glance
Military Housing Area RI257 covers 102 ZIP codes in Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, North Attleboro and nearby communities, Rhode Island (plus parts of MA). 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 $3,195 a month, 55% above the median housing area ($2,064), ranking 43 of 338 nationally.
For officers, an O-3 with dependents gets $4,008, ranking 39 of 338 (58% above the $2,529 median). Promotion from E-5 to E-7 adds $462 a month in housing allowance here, before any change in base pay.
Dependents add $513 a month for an E-5 (19% over the $2,682 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 | $3,045 | $2,283 | $762 |
| E-2 | $3,045 | $2,283 | $762 |
| E-3 | $3,045 | $2,283 | $762 |
| E-4 | $3,045 | $2,283 | $762 |
| E-5 | $3,195 | $2,682 | $513 |
| E-6 | $3,456 | $2,907 | $549 |
| E-7 | $3,657 | $3,048 | $609 |
| E-8 | $3,876 | $3,255 | $621 |
| E-9 | $4,101 | $3,324 | $777 |
| W-1 | $3,477 | $3,006 | $471 |
| W-2 | $3,747 | $3,252 | $495 |
| W-3 | $4,017 | $3,333 | $684 |
| W-4 | $4,131 | $3,498 | $633 |
| W-5 | $4,272 | $3,708 | $564 |
| O-1E | $3,699 | $3,192 | $507 |
| O-2E | $3,978 | $3,306 | $672 |
| O-3E | $4,152 | $3,447 | $705 |
| O-1 | $3,234 | $2,892 | $342 |
| O-2 | $3,453 | $3,150 | $303 |
| O-3 | $4,008 | $3,357 | $651 |
| O-4 | $4,317 | $3,669 | $648 |
| O-5 | $4,533 | $3,792 | $741 |
| O-6 | $4,572 | $3,996 | $576 |
| O-7 | $4,608 | $4,068 | $540 |
Official DoD rates for MHA RI257. 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 51 miles, E-5 with-dependents BAH runs from $2,580 (Groton, CT Area) to $4,791 (Boston, MA Area), a spread of $2,211 a month or $26,532 a year for the same rank.
| Housing area | Distance | E-5 with deps | O-3 with deps |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford, MA Area RI256 | 20 mi | $2,847 | $4,137 |
| Worcester, MA Area MA122 | 38 mi | $2,919 | $3,756 |
| Groton, CT Area CT049 | 39 mi | $2,580 | $3,306 |
| Boston, MA Area MA120 | 43 mi | $4,791 | $5,163 |
| Barnstable County, MA MA124 | 48 mi | $3,924 | $4,419 |
| Dukes County, MA MA151 | 51 mi | $3,984 | $5,025 |
ZIP codes in this housing area
Providence, RI
Warwick, RI
Cranston, RI
Pawtucket, RI
North Attleboro, MA
Wakefield, RI
Albion, RI
Ashaway, RI
Attleboro Falls, MA
Attleboro, MA
Bellingham, MA
Berkley, MA
Blackstone, MA
Block Island, RI
Bradford, RI
Carolina, RI
Central Falls, RI
Charlestown, RI
Chartley, MA
Chepachet, RI
Clayville, RI
Coventry, RI
Cumberland, RI
Dartmouth, MA
Dighton, MA
East Greenwich, RI
East Providence, RI
East Taunton, MA
Exeter, RI
Fall River, MA
Fiskeville, RI
Forestdale, RI
Foster, RI
Franklin, MA
Glendale, RI
Greene, RI
Greenville, RI
Harmony, RI
Harrisville, RI
Hope Valley, RI
Plus 42 more communities. Look up any ZIP in the BAH calculator.
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.