Compare military bases / Fort Hood → Fort Bliss
PCS · TX → TX
Compare Fort Hood and Fort Bliss
E-5 BAH with dependents is $1,809 a month at Fort Bliss and $1,695 at Fort Hood (2026 DTMO rates), $114 apart. Measured against HUD's 3-bedroom rent for the ZIP outside each gate ($1,720 in 76540, $2,330 in 79906), that leaves $25/mo short at Fort Hood and $521/mo short at Fort Bliss. Buying off-base, the Census median home value is $215,400 in Killeen and $184,500 in El Paso. Both are in Texas, so host-state taxes and DMV deadlines do not change with this move.
Moving the other way (Fort Bliss to Fort Hood)? The same numbers apply—swap the columns.
Deadlines and checklists on this page are for arriving in Fort Bliss; for Fort Hood, see the Fort Hood page.
Data: Fort Hood: DTMO 2026 BAH for MHA TX286, HUD rents for ZIP 76540, Census ACS for Killeen city, NOAA normals at Gatesville, TX; Fort Bliss: DTMO 2026 BAH for MHA TX279, HUD rents for ZIP 79906, Census ACS for El Paso city, NOAA normals at El Paso International Airport, TX. Jump to sources · Methodology
Will my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) go up or down if I move from Fort Hood to Fort Bliss?
This calculator uses 2026 DTMO (Defense Travel Management Office) rates for selected pay grade and dependent status.
Monthly BAH at E-5 pay grade without dependents.
- Fort Hood
- $1,530
- Fort Bliss
- $1,437
- Lower BAH at Fort Bliss
BAH vs typical 2-bedroom rent nearby.
- Fort Hood
- $290/mo left over
- Fort Bliss
- $263/mo short
Housing just outside the gate: Killeen vs El Paso
Rents shown on table are the 40th-percentile for 2 and 3 bedroom figures for the residential ZIP code nearest the base.
| Fort Hood Killeen 76540 | Fort Bliss El Paso 79906 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (city) | $215,400 | $184,500 |
| Median gross rent (city) | $1,208/mo | $1,073 |
| HUD ZIP 2-BR rent | $1,240/mo | $1,700 |
| HUD ZIP 3-BR rent | $1,720/mo | $2,330 |
| HUD metro 2-BR rent (wider area) | $1,233/mo | $1,191 |
| E-5 without dependents minus 2-BR | +$290/mo | −$263/mo |
| E-5 with dependents minus 3-BR | −$25/mo | −$521/mo |
E-5 without dependents vs a HUD 2-bedroom is +$290/mo at Fort Hood vs −$263/mo at Fort Bliss. E-5 with dependents vs a 3-bedroom is −$25/mo vs −$521/mo.
PCS checklist for Fort Bliss
- Update DEERS. BAH at Fort Bliss uses MHA TX279 (ZIP 79916).
- Look up your exact rate on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- HUD 2-bedroom FMR near Fort Bliss is $1,191/mo. On-base housing is separate.
- New Texas residents typically have 90 days for a license and 30 days to title a car.
- Reporting: Fort Bliss.
Biggest differences
- E-5 with-dependents BAH is higher at Fort Bliss ($1,809 vs $1,695).
- Median owner-occupied home value in the off-base city is $184,500 in El Paso vs $215,400 in Killeen (Census ACS 5-year, 2020–2024).
- HUD ZIP 2-bedroom rent just outside the gate is $1,700 in 79906 vs $1,240 in 76540.
Common questions
Does BAH go up from Fort Hood to Fort Bliss?
DTMO CY2026 with- and without-dependents rates for every pay grade are in the BAH table on this page. E-5 with dependents: $1,695 vs $1,809; without dependents: $1,530 vs $1,437.
What is local rent like near Fort Bliss?
HUD FY2026 Small Area FMR for ZIP 79906 (El Paso) is $1,700/mo for a 2-bedroom and $2,330/mo for a 3-bedroom. The wider metro 2-BR FMR is $1,191/mo.
Will BAH cover off-base rent if I PCS from Fort Hood to Fort Bliss?
E-5 without dependents minus a HUD 2-bedroom is +$290/mo at Fort Hood vs −$263/mo at Fort Bliss. E-5 with dependents minus a 3-bedroom is −$25/mo vs −$521/mo. Use the calculator for other pay grades. Actual listings vary; BAH is untaxed housing pay, not a rent cap.
How different is the climate from Fort Hood to Fort Bliss?
Annual normals at Gatesville, TX are 78° / 55°F and 37.0 in of precipitation vs 79° / 54°F and 8.8 in at El Paso International Airport, TX (NOAA 1991–2020).
What do homes cost in Killeen vs El Paso?
Census ACS 5-year (2020–2024) median value of owner-occupied homes is $215,400 in Killeen, Texas vs $184,500 in El Paso, Texas. Median gross rent in those cities is $1,208 vs $1,073. These are city medians (owners’ reported values), not last month’s sale prices.
Related PCS
Fort Hood · Fort Bliss · Fort Bragg → Fort Hood · Joint Base San Antonio → Fort Hood
Your PCS
Only destinations that share a service with the origin are listed.
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 Fort Hood (TX286); Fort Bliss (TX279). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — Bell County $1,233; El Paso County $1,191.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 76540 (Killeen) $1,240 / $1,720; 79906 (El Paso) $1,700 / $2,330.
- 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 Killeen city, Texas ($215,400, $1,208/mo) and El Paso city, Texas ($184,500, $1,073/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — Gatesville, TX (USC00413485); El Paso International Airport, TX (USW00023044).
- Host-state wage tax. Statewide listed rates for Texas 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 Texas. 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 Texas. On-base housing is not in this figure.
- Vehicle title tax and new-resident clocks. Texas motor-vehicle agency (license 90 days, title 30 days; title tax 6.25%). 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 Texas. 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 Texas. Backdrop for off-base purchase prices; on-base housing and BAH are separate.
Data last updated: September 2026. How the data is compiled