Province of Friesland housing and COLA at a glance

Province of Friesland (incl Leeuwarden), Netherlands (DoD locality NL070). DTMO files this place under the same locality, so the same rates apply: Leeuwarden.

E-5 rent ceiling
$1,262
with dependents
E-7 rent ceiling
$1,957
with dependents
O-3 rent ceiling
$1,957
with dependents
Utility allowance
$1,190
per month, with deps
COLA index
148
E-5, 2 deps: $1,408/mo

An E-5 with dependents can rent up to $1,262 a month (1,065 EUR) and receives $1,190 for utilities and maintenance, $2,451 a month in total OHA at the ceiling. With two dependents and 6 years of service, COLA adds about $1,408 a month. Both are tax-free.

OHA rent ceilings for every grade

OHA reimburses your actual rent up to the ceiling for your grade, so renting below it means a smaller payment, not money kept. Without dependents, the ceiling is 90% of the with-dependents figure.

GradeWith depsWithout depsCeiling (EUR)
E-1$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
E-2$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
E-3$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
E-4$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
E-5$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
E-6$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
E-7$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
E-8$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
E-9$2,133$1,9191,800 EUR
W-1$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
W-2$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
W-3$2,133$1,9191,800 EUR
W-4$2,133$1,9191,800 EUR
W-5$2,844$2,5592,400 EUR
O-1E$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
O-2E$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
O-3E$2,133$1,9191,800 EUR
O-1$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
O-2$1,262$1,1361,065 EUR
O-3$1,957$1,7621,652 EUR
O-4$2,133$1,9191,800 EUR
O-5$2,844$2,5592,400 EUR
O-6$2,844$2,5592,400 EUR

Utilities and move-in

Rent ceilings effective 16 July 2026. Converted at DTMO's pay-system rate of 1 EUR = $1.184834 (October 1, 2026). DTMO revises it on the 1st and 16th of each month, so the dollar amount moves even when the ceiling does not.

COLA in Province of Friesland

The COLA index here is 148 (effective October 1, 2026), meaning goods and services cost about 48% more than in the U.S. COLA is paid on top of base pay and OHA. Estimated monthly COLA by grade and number of dependents:

Grade (YOS)No deps1 dep2 deps3 deps4 deps
E-3 (2 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
E-4 (4 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
E-5 (6 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
E-6 (10 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
E-7 (14 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
E-8 (18 yrs)$1,357$1,433$1,508$1,583$1,659
E-9 (22 yrs)$1,530$1,615$1,700$1,785$1,870
W-2 (8 yrs)$1,267$1,338$1,408$1,478$1,549
O-2 (3 yrs)$1,314$1,387$1,460$1,533$1,606
O-3 (6 yrs)$1,444$1,524$1,604$1,684$1,764
O-4 (12 yrs)$1,652$1,744$1,836$1,928$2,020
O-5 (18 yrs)$1,847$1,949$2,052$2,155$2,257
O-6 (22 yrs)$2,023$2,136$2,248$2,360$2,473

Estimates use 2026 base pay at the years of service shown and DTMO's spendable-income table (CY2026 tables (effective Feb 1, 2026)). COLA = spendable income × (index − 100) ÷ 100 ÷ 12. Members without dependents living in government quarters receive a reduced rate. Run your exact grade, years of service and dependents in the OCONUS COLA calculator.

How Province of Friesland compares

The COLA index of 148 is the 1st-highest of 18 Netherlands localities DTMO prices for OHA, and in the top 8% of the 624 locations worldwide that pay COLA.

Its E-5 rent ceiling ranks 16th of 18 in Netherlands.

Where the ceiling steps up with rank (with dependents): enlisted $1,262 for E-1 to E-5, $1,957 from E-6 to E-8 (+$695), and $2,133 at E-9 (+$176); officers $1,262 for O-1 to O-2, $1,957 at O-3 (+$695), $2,133 at O-4 (+$176), and $2,844 from O-5 to O-6 (+$711). A promotion that lands before you sign a lease raises what you can rent.

At the ceiling, an E-5 with two dependents draws about $3,859 a month here in OHA and COLA combined, tax-free. The same member receives $2,061 in BAH at the median U.S. housing area. Treat that as a rough guide: OHA pays your actual rent rather than a flat amount, and COLA exists because everyday prices here run higher.

How these rates have moved

The COLA index is 148 (October 1, 2026), the same as on May 1, 2026, though it ranged from 144 to 148 in the months between.

EffectiveCOLA indexE-5, 2 deps*
October 1, 2026148$1,408
July 16, 2026144$1,291
June 1, 2026146$1,349
May 1, 2026148$1,408

*Monthly COLA at 2026 base pay (6 years of service), so the column isolates the effect of the index.

Exchange rate: DTMO's pay-system rate was 1 EUR = $1.16117 on July 16, 2026 and $1.184834 on October 1, 2026 (+2.0%). The E-5 ceiling of 1,065 EUR is worth $1,262 today against $1,237 then, so the dollar amount on your LES rose by $25 a month without the ceiling itself changing.

From DTMO's published COLA indices and OHA exchange rates as recorded by this site each pay period.

Other Netherlands localities

E-5 with dependents. Your OHA follows the locality of your duty station, so these apply only if you are assigned there.

LocalityOHA rent ceilingCOLA index
Almelo$1,518148
Amsterdam$3,291148
Arnhem$1,791148
Brunssum (Limburg)$2,043132
Coevorden$1,518148
Delft$3,264136
Den Helder$1,075148
Doorn$2,218148
Eindhoven$1,777148
Ermelo$1,967148
Hague, the$3,264136
Other (Netherlands)$1,518148
Rotterdam$3,006148
Soesterberg AB$1,154148
Utrecht$3,143148
Valkenburg$2,896136
Volkel$2,303148

Using these numbers

Sources: DTMO OHA rate tables and OCONUS COLA indices, refreshed each pay period. Estimates for planning; your finance office's figure is the one that pays.