Compare military bases / Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst → Dover Air Force Base
JBMDL → Dover
Compare Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Dover Air Force Base
Will my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) go up or down if I move from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to Dover Air Force Base?
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.
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
- $2,421
- Dover Air Force Base
- $1,947
- Lower BAH at Dover Air Force Base
BAH vs typical 2-bedroom rent nearby.
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
- $851/mo left over
- Dover Air Force Base
- $477/mo left over
Housing just outside the gate: Wrightstown vs Dover
Rents shown on table are the 40th-percentile for 2 and 3 bedroom figures for the residential ZIP code nearest the base.
| Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Wrightstown 08562 | Dover Air Force Base Dover 19903 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (city) | $256,300 | $258,900 |
| Median gross rent (city) | $1,270/mo | $1,344 |
| HUD ZIP 2-BR rent | $1,570/mo | $1,470 |
| HUD ZIP 3-BR rent | $1,890/mo | $2,040 |
| HUD metro 2-BR rent (wider area) | $1,810/mo | $1,470 |
| E-5 without dependents minus 2-BR | +$851/mo | +$477/mo |
| E-5 with dependents minus 3-BR | +$933/mo | +$237/mo |
E-5 without dependents vs a HUD 2-bedroom is +$851/mo at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst vs +$477/mo at Dover Air Force Base. E-5 with dependents vs a 3-bedroom is +$933/mo vs +$237/mo.
Host-state comparison: New Jersey vs. Delaware
| New Jersey | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax | 6.60% | 0.00% |
| Property tax | 1.88% | 0.54% |
| Personal property tax | No | No |
| Top state income tax | 10.75% | 6.6% |
| Median home value | $576,610 | $410,545 |
| Branch | Joint | Air Force |
| HUD 2-BR FMR | $1,810 | $1,470 |
| Climate high/low | 68° / 51°F | 65° / 47°F |
| Annual precip | 41.8 in | 44.1 in |
| Nearby city | Wrightstown | Dover |
| Host state | New Jersey | Delaware |
Click here for the full state comparison: New Jersey → Delaware
PCS checklist for Dover Air Force Base
- Update DEERS. BAH at Dover Air Force Base uses MHA DE054 (ZIP 19902).
- Look up your exact rate on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- HUD 2-bedroom FMR near Dover Air Force Base is $1,470/mo. On-base housing is separate.
- New Delaware residents typically have 60 days for a license and 60 days to title a car.
- Reporting: Dover Air Force Base.
Biggest differences
- E-5 with-dependents BAH is lower at Dover Air Force Base ($2,277 vs $2,823).
- Median owner-occupied home value in the off-base city is $258,900 in Dover vs $256,300 in Wrightstown (Census ACS 5-year, 2020–2024).
- HUD ZIP 2-bedroom rent just outside the gate is $1,470 in 19903 vs $1,570 in 08562.
- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is labeled Joint; Dover Air Force Base is Air Force. The pair is valid because of shared tenants.
- Host-state wage tax is Top listed rate 10.75% in New Jersey vs Top listed rate 6.6% in Delaware (military pay usually follows legal residence, not the duty station).
- Combined sales tax averages 0% in Delaware vs 6.6% in New Jersey.
Common questions
Does BAH go down from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to Dover Air Force Base?
DTMO CY2026 with- and without-dependents rates for every pay grade are in the BAH table on this page. E-5 with dependents: $2,823 vs $2,277; without dependents: $2,421 vs $1,947.
How does sales tax near Dover Air Force Base compare with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst?
Combined sales tax averages 0% in Delaware vs 6.6% in New Jersey. This follows where you live, not legal residence for military pay.
What is local rent like near Dover Air Force Base?
HUD FY2026 Small Area FMR for ZIP 19903 (Dover) is $1,470/mo for a 2-bedroom and $2,040/mo for a 3-bedroom. The wider metro 2-BR FMR is $1,470/mo.
Will BAH cover off-base rent if I PCS from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to Dover Air Force Base?
E-5 without dependents minus a HUD 2-bedroom is +$851/mo at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst vs +$477/mo at Dover Air Force Base. E-5 with dependents minus a 3-bedroom is +$933/mo vs +$237/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 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to Dover Air Force Base?
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. New Jersey: Top listed rate 10.75%. Delaware: Top listed rate 6.6%. BAH is not taxed. Sales tax and titling a car follow the state you live in.
Can I PCS from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to Dover Air Force Base?
This pair is listed because the installations share a tenant service (Air Force). Your actual orders depend on your MOS/AFSC/rating and the gaining unit.
How long do I have for a license and car title if I PCS to Dover Air Force Base?
New Delaware residents typically have 60 days for a license and 60 days to title a car (30 and 60 days in New Jersey).
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 Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (NJ204); Dover Air Force Base (DE054). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — Burlington County $1,810; Kent County $1,470.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 08562 (Wrightstown) $1,570 / $1,890; 19903 (Dover) $1,470 / $2,040.
- 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 Wrightstown borough, New Jersey ($256,300, $1,270/mo) and Dover city, Delaware ($258,900, $1,344/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — Ronald Reagan Washington National (NWS) (USW00013743); Philadelphia Intl (NWS) (USW00013739).
- Host-state wage tax. Statewide listed rates for New Jersey and Delaware 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 New Jersey and Delaware. 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 New Jersey and Delaware. On-base housing is not in this figure.
- Vehicle title tax and new-resident clocks. New Jersey motor-vehicle agency (license 30 days, title 60 days; title tax 6.62%); Delaware motor-vehicle agency (license 60 days, title 60 days; title tax 4.25%). 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 New Jersey and Delaware. 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 New Jersey and Delaware. Backdrop for off-base purchase prices; on-base housing and BAH are separate.