Compare military bases / Joint Base San Antonio → Fort Hood
PCS · TX → TX
Compare Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Hood
E-5 BAH with dependents is $1,869 a month at Joint Base San Antonio and $1,695 at Fort Hood (2026 DTMO rates), $174 apart. Measured against HUD's 3-bedroom rent for the ZIP outside each gate ($1,810 in 78288, $1,720 in 76540), that leaves $59/mo to spare at Joint Base San Antonio and $25/mo short at Fort Hood. Buying off-base, the Census median home value is $235,700 in San Antonio and $215,400 in Killeen. Both are in Texas, so host-state taxes and DMV deadlines do not change with this move.
Moving the other way (Fort Hood to Joint Base San Antonio)? The same numbers apply—swap the columns.
Deadlines and checklists on this page are for arriving in Fort Hood; for Joint Base San Antonio, see the Joint Base San Antonio page.
Data: Joint Base San Antonio: DTMO 2026 BAH for MHA TX285, HUD rents for ZIP 78288, Census ACS for San Antonio city, NOAA normals at San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX; Fort Hood: DTMO 2026 BAH for MHA TX286, HUD rents for ZIP 76540, Census ACS for Killeen city, NOAA normals at Gatesville, TX. Jump to sources · Methodology
Will my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) go up or down if I move from Joint Base San Antonio to Fort Hood?
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 San Antonio
- $1,500
- Fort Hood
- $1,530
- Higher BAH at Fort Hood
BAH vs typical 2-bedroom rent nearby.
- Joint Base San Antonio
- $90/mo left over
- Fort Hood
- $290/mo left over
Housing just outside the gate: San Antonio vs Killeen
Rents shown on table are the 40th-percentile for 2 and 3 bedroom figures for the residential ZIP code nearest the base.
| Joint Base San Antonio San Antonio 78288 | Fort Hood Killeen 76540 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (city) | $235,700 | $215,400 |
| Median gross rent (city) | $1,324/mo | $1,208 |
| HUD ZIP 2-BR rent | $1,410/mo | $1,240 |
| HUD ZIP 3-BR rent | $1,810/mo | $1,720 |
| HUD metro 2-BR rent (wider area) | $1,426/mo | $1,233 |
| E-5 without dependents minus 2-BR | +$90/mo | +$290/mo |
| E-5 with dependents minus 3-BR | +$59/mo | −$25/mo |
E-5 without dependents vs a HUD 2-bedroom is +$90/mo at Joint Base San Antonio vs +$290/mo at Fort Hood. E-5 with dependents vs a 3-bedroom is +$59/mo vs −$25/mo.
PCS checklist for Fort Hood
- Update DEERS. BAH at Fort Hood uses MHA TX286 (ZIP 76544).
- Look up your exact rate on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- HUD 2-bedroom FMR near Fort Hood is $1,233/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 Hood.
Biggest differences
- E-5 with-dependents BAH is lower at Fort Hood ($1,695 vs $1,869).
- Median owner-occupied home value in the off-base city is $215,400 in Killeen vs $235,700 in San Antonio (Census ACS 5-year, 2020–2024).
- HUD ZIP 2-bedroom rent just outside the gate is $1,240 in 76540 vs $1,410 in 78288.
- Joint Base San Antonio is labeled Joint; Fort Hood is Army. The pair is valid because of shared tenants.
Common questions
Does BAH go down from Joint Base San Antonio to Fort Hood?
DTMO CY2026 with- and without-dependents rates for every pay grade are in the BAH table on this page. E-5 with dependents: $1,869 vs $1,695; without dependents: $1,500 vs $1,530.
What is local rent like near Fort Hood?
HUD FY2026 Small Area FMR for ZIP 76540 (Killeen) is $1,240/mo for a 2-bedroom and $1,720/mo for a 3-bedroom. The wider metro 2-BR FMR is $1,233/mo.
Will BAH cover off-base rent if I PCS from Joint Base San Antonio to Fort Hood?
E-5 without dependents minus a HUD 2-bedroom is +$90/mo at Joint Base San Antonio vs +$290/mo at Fort Hood. E-5 with dependents minus a 3-bedroom is +$59/mo vs −$25/mo. Use the calculator for other pay grades. Actual listings vary; BAH is untaxed housing pay, not a rent cap.
Can I PCS from Joint Base San Antonio to Fort Hood?
This pair is listed because the installations share a tenant service (Army). Your actual orders depend on your MOS/AFSC/rating and the gaining unit.
Related PCS
Joint Base San Antonio · Fort Hood · Fort Bragg → Fort Hood · Fort Hood → Fort Bliss
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 San Antonio (TX285); Fort Hood (TX286). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — Bexar County $1,426; Bell County $1,233.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 78288 (San Antonio) $1,410 / $1,810; 76540 (Killeen) $1,240 / $1,720.
- 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 Antonio city, Texas ($235,700, $1,324/mo) and Killeen city, Texas ($215,400, $1,208/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — San Antonio Incarnate Word, TX (USC00417947); Gatesville, TX (USC00413485).
- 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