Compare military bases / Fort Knox → Fort Meade
Knox → Meade
Compare Fort Knox and Fort Meade
Will my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) go up or down if I move from Fort Knox to Fort Meade?
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 Knox
- $1,443
- Fort Meade
- $2,436
- Higher BAH at Fort Meade
BAH vs typical 2-bedroom rent nearby.
- Fort Knox
- $383/mo left over
- Fort Meade
- $94/mo short
Housing just outside the gate: Fort Knox vs Fort Meade
Rents shown on table are the 40th-percentile for 2 and 3 bedroom figures for the residential ZIP code nearest the base.
| Fort Knox Fort Knox 40122 | Fort Meade Fort Meade 20755 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (city) | $-666,666,666 | $-666,666,666 |
| Median gross rent (city) | $1,502/mo | $2,435 |
| HUD ZIP 2-BR rent | $1,060/mo | $2,530 |
| HUD ZIP 3-BR rent | $1,470/mo | $3,210 |
| HUD metro 2-BR rent (wider area) | $1,056/mo | $1,857 |
| E-5 without dependents minus 2-BR | +$383/mo | −$94/mo |
| E-5 with dependents minus 3-BR | +$177/mo | −$309/mo |
E-5 without dependents vs a HUD 2-bedroom is +$383/mo at Fort Knox vs −$94/mo at Fort Meade. E-5 with dependents vs a 3-bedroom is +$177/mo vs −$309/mo.
Host-state comparison: Kentucky vs. Maryland
| Kentucky | Maryland | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| Property tax | 0.74% | 0.92% |
| Personal property tax | Yes — 1.44% effective | No |
| Top state income tax | 3.5% | 6.5% |
| Median home value | $235,735 | $434,258 |
| Branch | Army | Army |
| HUD 2-BR FMR | $1,056 | $1,857 |
| Climate high/low | 70° / 48°F | 67° / 46°F |
| Annual precip | 50.1 in | 45.0 in |
| Nearby city | Fort Knox | Fort Meade |
| Host state | Kentucky | Maryland |
Click here for the full state comparison: Kentucky → Maryland
PCS checklist for Fort Meade
- Update DEERS. BAH at Fort Meade uses MHA MD133 (ZIP 20755).
- Look up your exact rate on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- HUD 2-bedroom FMR near Fort Meade is $1,857/mo. On-base housing is separate.
- New Maryland residents typically have 60 days for a license and 60 days to title a car.
- Reporting: Fort Meade.
Biggest differences
- E-5 with-dependents BAH is higher at Fort Meade ($2,901 vs $1,647).
- Median owner-occupied home value in the off-base city is $-666,666,666 in Fort Meade vs $-666,666,666 in Fort Knox (Census ACS 5-year, 2020–2024).
- HUD ZIP 2-bedroom rent just outside the gate is $2,530 in 20755 vs $1,060 in 40122.
- Host-state wage tax is Top listed rate 3.5% in Kentucky vs Top listed rate 6.5% in Maryland (military pay usually follows legal residence, not the duty station).
Common questions
Does BAH go up from Fort Knox to Fort Meade?
DTMO CY2026 with- and without-dependents rates for every pay grade are in the BAH table on this page. E-5 with dependents: $1,647 vs $2,901; without dependents: $1,443 vs $2,436.
What is local rent like near Fort Meade?
HUD FY2026 Small Area FMR for ZIP 20755 (Fort Meade) is $2,530/mo for a 2-bedroom and $3,210/mo for a 3-bedroom. The wider metro 2-BR FMR is $1,857/mo.
Will BAH cover off-base rent if I PCS from Fort Knox to Fort Meade?
E-5 without dependents minus a HUD 2-bedroom is +$383/mo at Fort Knox vs −$94/mo at Fort Meade. E-5 with dependents minus a 3-bedroom is +$177/mo vs −$309/mo. Use the calculator for other pay grades. Actual listings vary; BAH is untaxed housing pay, not a rent cap.
Does my state income tax change if I PCS from Fort Knox to Fort Meade?
Usually not just because the duty station changes. Military pay generally follows legal residence under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act; spouses may have similar protection. Kentucky: Top listed rate 3.5%. Maryland: Top listed rate 6.5%. BAH is not taxed. Sales tax and titling a car follow the state you live in.
How long do I have for a license and car title if I PCS to Fort Meade?
New Maryland residents typically have 60 days for a license and 60 days to title a car (30 and 15 days in Kentucky).
Related PCS
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 Knox (KY110); Fort Meade (MD133). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — Hardin County $1,056; Anne Arundel County $1,857.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 40122 (Fort Knox) $1,060 / $1,470; 20755 (Fort Meade) $2,530 / $3,210.
- Off-base city home value and rent. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year 2020–2024 tables B25077 (median value of owner-occupied homes) and B25064 (median gross rent) for Fort Knox CDP, Kentucky ($-666,666,666, $1,502/mo) and Fort Meade CDP, Maryland ($-666,666,666, $2,435/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — Bowling Green (NWS) (USW00093808); Baltimore-Washington Intl (NWS) (USW00093721).
- Host-state wage tax. Statewide listed rates for Kentucky and Maryland 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 Kentucky and Maryland. 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 Kentucky and Maryland. On-base housing is not in this figure.
- Vehicle title tax and new-resident clocks. Kentucky motor-vehicle agency (license 30 days, title 15 days; title tax 6.00%); Maryland motor-vehicle agency (license 60 days, title 60 days; title tax 6.00%). 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 Kentucky and Maryland. 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 Kentucky and Maryland. Backdrop for off-base purchase prices; on-base housing and BAH are separate.