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MCRD San Diego
MCRD San Diego: BAH and local costs
What is my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) at MCRD San Diego?
This calculator uses 2026 DTMO (Defense Travel Management Office) rates for selected pay grade and dependent status.
$3,147/mo
Monthly BAH at E-5 pay grade without dependents.
- MCRD San Diego
- $3,147
- Typical 2-bedroom rent nearby
- $3,450/mo
- BAH vs that rent
- $303/mo short
Key facts for living at MCRD San Diego
| Host state | California |
|---|---|
| State income tax | 1%–12.3%, plus 1% over $1M (13.3% top) |
| Top state income-tax rate | 13.3% |
| Average sales tax (state + local) | 8.99% |
| Average property tax (real estate) | 0.70% |
| Personal property tax (vehicles) | Yes — 0.65% effective |
| Median home value | $778,217 |
| Military housing area | CA038 — SAN DIEGO, CA |
| Climate (annual high / low) | 71° / 58°F |
| Annual precipitation | 9.8 in |
| Official site | MCRD San Diego |
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Compare these bases
Only destinations that share a service with the origin are listed.
PCS checklist for MCRD San Diego
- Update DEERS and your page-2 / dependency status before BAH starts at the new MHA (CA038).
- Look up your exact BAH for rank and dependents on the DTMO BAH lookup (ZIP 92140).
- Off-base 2-bedroom HUD FMR in San Diego County is $3,001/mo. On-base housing is separate.
- Get a CA driver license within 10 days and title the car within 20 days. See California.
- Confirm reporting instructions on the official MCRD San Diego site.
PCS from MCRD San Diego
Only installations that share a tenant service with MCRD San Diego.
MCRD San Diego → LejeuneMCRD San Diego to Camp LejeuneMCRD San Diego → PendletonMCRD San Diego to Camp PendletonMCRD San Diego → JBMHHMCRD San Diego to Joint Base Myer-Henderson HallMCRD San Diego → 29 PalmsMCRD San Diego to MCAGCC Twentynine PalmsMCRD San Diego → MCAS BeaufortMCRD San Diego to MCAS BeaufortMCRD San Diego → Cherry PointMCRD San Diego to MCAS Cherry PointMCRD San Diego → MiramarMCRD San Diego to MCAS MiramarMCRD San Diego → YumaMCRD San Diego to MCAS YumaMCRD San Diego → MCB HawaiiMCRD San Diego to MCB HawaiiMCRD San Diego → QuanticoMCRD San Diego to MCB QuanticoMCRD San Diego → Parris IslandMCRD San Diego to MCRD Parris Island
PCS to MCRD San Diego
Lejeune → MCRD San DiegoCamp Lejeune to MCRD San DiegoPendleton → MCRD San DiegoCamp Pendleton to MCRD San DiegoJBMHH → MCRD San DiegoJoint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to MCRD San Diego29 Palms → MCRD San DiegoMCAGCC Twentynine Palms to MCRD San DiegoMCAS Beaufort → MCRD San DiegoMCAS Beaufort to MCRD San DiegoCherry Point → MCRD San DiegoMCAS Cherry Point to MCRD San DiegoMiramar → MCRD San DiegoMCAS Miramar to MCRD San DiegoYuma → MCRD San DiegoMCAS Yuma to MCRD San DiegoMCB Hawaii → MCRD San DiegoMCB Hawaii to MCRD San DiegoQuantico → MCRD San DiegoMCB Quantico to MCRD San DiegoParris Island → MCRD San DiegoMCRD Parris Island to MCRD San Diego
Sources
Housing figures below are for the installation (MHA, HUD rent, climate). Host-state tax rates are statewide averages — not a tax return. County add-ons can differ, and wage tax on military pay follows legal residence, not the duty station.
- BAH (with and without dependents). DTMO CY2026 BAH tables for MCRD San Diego (CA038). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — San Diego County $3,001.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 92110 (San Diego) $3,450 / $4,600.
- Off-base city home value and rent. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year 2020–2024 tables B25077 (median value of owner-occupied homes) and B25064 (median gross rent) for San Diego city, California ($906,700, $2,313/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — San Diego Intl (NWS) (USW00023188).
- Host-state wage tax. Statewide listed rates for California from the Tax Foundation 2026 individual income-tax tables. On this page they describe the host state, not automatically the tax on a military LES (legal residence can stay put). BAH is untaxed.
- Combined sales tax near the installation. Tax Foundation January 2026 state-and-local sales-tax averages for California. Used as an off-base shopping stand-in; city and county add-ons vary.
- Effective property tax if you buy off-base. Tax Foundation 2026 property taxes by state for California. On-base housing is not in this figure.
- Vehicle title tax and new-resident clocks. California motor-vehicle agency (license 10 days, title 20 days; title tax 7.25%). These are host-state motor-vehicle rules, not BAH.
- Vehicle personal-property tax on the host-state snapshot. WalletHub 2026 vehicle property-tax table for California. This is a statewide car-tax flag, not real-estate tax and not BAH.
- Statewide median home value on the host-state snapshot. Experian / Zillow March 2026 state medians for California. Backdrop for off-base purchase prices; on-base housing and BAH are separate.