County Cost Group ZZ520: 2026 BAH at a glance
DoD prices housing in most non-metropolitan counties by grouping counties with similar rental costs into a county cost group. Group ZZ520 covers 179 ZIP codes in 8 states. If your duty ZIP falls in one of the counties below, this is your BAH.
An E-5 with dependents here receives $1,332 a month, 35% below the median housing area ($2,064), ranking 326 of 338 nationally.
For officers, an O-3 with dependents gets $1,815, ranking 332 of 338 (28% below the $2,529 median). Promotion from E-5 to E-7 adds $363 a month in housing allowance here, before any change in base pay.
Dependents add $255 a month for an E-5 (24% over the $1,077 single rate), less 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 | $1,233 | $999 | $234 |
| E-2 | $1,233 | $999 | $234 |
| E-3 | $1,233 | $999 | $234 |
| E-4 | $1,233 | $999 | $234 |
| E-5 | $1,332 | $1,077 | $255 |
| E-6 | $1,629 | $1,221 | $408 |
| E-7 | $1,695 | $1,272 | $423 |
| E-8 | $1,770 | $1,398 | $372 |
| E-9 | $1,875 | $1,479 | $396 |
| W-1 | $1,647 | $1,236 | $411 |
| W-2 | $1,725 | $1,395 | $330 |
| W-3 | $1,818 | $1,491 | $327 |
| W-4 | $1,899 | $1,638 | $261 |
| W-5 | $2,001 | $1,710 | $291 |
| O-1E | $1,707 | $1,329 | $378 |
| O-2E | $1,803 | $1,461 | $342 |
| O-3E | $1,914 | $1,620 | $294 |
| O-1 | $1,377 | $1,131 | $246 |
| O-2 | $1,626 | $1,305 | $321 |
| O-3 | $1,815 | $1,518 | $297 |
| O-4 | $2,031 | $1,692 | $339 |
| O-5 | $2,190 | $1,731 | $459 |
| O-6 | $2,205 | $1,794 | $411 |
| O-7 | $2,217 | $1,824 | $393 |
Official DoD rates for MHA ZZ520. 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 114 miles, E-5 with-dependents BAH runs from $1,332 (this area) to $2,268 (Nashville, TN), a spread of $936 a month or $11,232 a year for the same rank.
| Housing area | Distance | E-5 with deps | O-3 with deps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Campbell (Clarksville, TN) KY106 | 72 mi | $1,815 | $2,496 |
| Paducah, KY KY430 | 74 mi | $1,365 | $2,031 |
| Hardin County, KY KY110 | 82 mi | $1,647 | $2,421 |
| Louisville, KY KY109 | 111 mi | $1,989 | $2,394 |
| Nashville, TN TN269 | 114 mi | $2,268 | $2,784 |
| Bloomington, IN Area IN399 | 114 mi | $1,905 | $2,469 |
Counties in this cost group
Kentucky (66 ZIPs)
Letcher, Leslie, Carter, Breathitt, Lee, Taylor, Harrison
Illinois (30 ZIPs)
Knox, Jasper, Bond
South Carolina (24 ZIPs)
Greenwood, Chesterfield, Marlboro
Iowa (19 ZIPs)
Carroll, Floyd
Oklahoma (18 ZIPs)
Caddo, Adair
Kansas (8 ZIPs)
Chase, Sherman
Louisiana (8 ZIPs)
Bienville
North Carolina (6 ZIPs)
Warren
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.