Compare military bases / Maxwell Air Force Base → Joint Base Charleston
Maxwell → JB Charleston
Compare Maxwell Air Force Base and Joint Base Charleston
Will my BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) go up or down if I move from Maxwell Air Force Base to Joint Base Charleston?
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.
- Maxwell Air Force Base
- $1,431
- Joint Base Charleston
- $1,941
- Higher BAH at Joint Base Charleston
BAH vs typical 2-bedroom rent nearby.
- Maxwell Air Force Base
- $531/mo left over
- Joint Base Charleston
- $251/mo left over
Housing just outside the gate: Montgomery vs Charleston
Rents shown on table are the 40th-percentile for 2 and 3 bedroom figures for the residential ZIP code nearest the base.
| Maxwell Air Force Base Montgomery 36104 | Joint Base Charleston Charleston 29406 | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value (city) | $161,900 | $509,700 |
| Median gross rent (city) | $1,089/mo | $1,722 |
| HUD ZIP 2-BR rent | $900/mo | $1,690 |
| HUD ZIP 3-BR rent | $1,130/mo | $2,100 |
| HUD metro 2-BR rent (wider area) | $1,016/mo | $1,787 |
| E-5 without dependents minus 2-BR | +$531/mo | +$251/mo |
| E-5 with dependents minus 3-BR | +$553/mo | +$285/mo |
E-5 without dependents vs a HUD 2-bedroom is +$531/mo at Maxwell Air Force Base vs +$251/mo at Joint Base Charleston. E-5 with dependents vs a 3-bedroom is +$553/mo vs +$285/mo.
Host-state comparison: Alabama vs. South Carolina
| Alabama | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax | 9.46% | 7.49% |
| Property tax | 0.37% | 0.49% |
| Personal property tax | Yes — 0.70% effective | Yes — 2.33% effective |
| Top state income tax | 5.0% | 6.0% |
| Median home value | $238,703 | $307,843 |
| Branch | Air Force | Joint |
| HUD 2-BR FMR | $1,016 | $1,787 |
| Climate high/low | 78° / 54°F | 72° / 51°F |
| Annual precip | 51.2 in | 43.6 in |
| Nearby city | Montgomery | Charleston |
| Host state | Alabama | South Carolina |
Click here for the full state comparison: Alabama → South Carolina
PCS checklist for Joint Base Charleston
- Update DEERS. BAH at Joint Base Charleston uses MHA SC259 (ZIP 29404).
- Look up your exact rate on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- HUD 2-bedroom FMR near Joint Base Charleston is $1,787/mo. On-base housing is separate.
- New South Carolina residents typically have 90 days for a license and 45 days to title a car.
- Reporting: Joint Base Charleston.
Biggest differences
- E-5 with-dependents BAH is higher at Joint Base Charleston ($2,385 vs $1,683).
- Median owner-occupied home value in the off-base city is $509,700 in Charleston vs $161,900 in Montgomery (Census ACS 5-year, 2020–2024).
- HUD ZIP 2-bedroom rent just outside the gate is $1,690 in 29406 vs $900 in 36104.
- Maxwell Air Force Base is labeled Air Force; Joint Base Charleston is Joint. The pair is valid because of shared tenants.
- Host-state wage tax is Top listed rate 5.0% in Alabama vs Top listed rate 6.0% in South Carolina (military pay usually follows legal residence, not the duty station).
- Combined sales tax averages 7.49% in South Carolina vs 9.46% in Alabama.
Common questions
Does BAH go up from Maxwell Air Force Base to Joint Base Charleston?
DTMO CY2026 with- and without-dependents rates for every pay grade are in the BAH table on this page. E-5 with dependents: $1,683 vs $2,385; without dependents: $1,431 vs $1,941.
What do homes cost in Montgomery vs Charleston?
Census ACS 5-year (2020–2024) median value of owner-occupied homes is $161,900 in Montgomery city, Alabama vs $509,700 in Charleston city, South Carolina. Median gross rent in those cities is $1,089 vs $1,722. These are city medians (owners’ reported values), not last month’s sale prices.
What is local rent like near Joint Base Charleston?
HUD FY2026 Small Area FMR for ZIP 29406 (Charleston) is $1,690/mo for a 2-bedroom and $2,100/mo for a 3-bedroom. The wider metro 2-BR FMR is $1,787/mo.
Will BAH cover off-base rent if I PCS from Maxwell Air Force Base to Joint Base Charleston?
E-5 without dependents minus a HUD 2-bedroom is +$531/mo at Maxwell Air Force Base vs +$251/mo at Joint Base Charleston. E-5 with dependents minus a 3-bedroom is +$553/mo vs +$285/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 Maxwell Air Force Base to Joint Base Charleston?
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. Alabama: Top listed rate 5.0%. South Carolina: Top listed rate 6.0%. 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 Joint Base Charleston?
New South Carolina residents typically have 90 days for a license and 45 days to title a car (30 and 20 days in Alabama).
Can I PCS from Maxwell Air Force Base to Joint Base Charleston?
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.
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 Maxwell Air Force Base (AL005); Joint Base Charleston (SC259). Confirm current rates on the DTMO BAH lookup.
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. HUD FY2026 FMR — Montgomery County $1,016; Charleston County $1,787.
- Off-base ZIP rent (HUD Small Area FMR). FY2026 ZIP 2- and 3-bedroom 40th-percentile rents from the HUD Small Area FMR tables: 36104 (Montgomery) $900 / $1,130; 29406 (Charleston) $1,690 / $2,100.
- 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 Montgomery city, Alabama ($161,900, $1,089/mo) and Charleston city, South Carolina ($509,700, $1,722/mo). Owner-reported values, not transaction prices.
- Climate normals (1991–2020). NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals — Montgomery Regional (NWS) (USW00013895); Charleston Intl (NWS) (USW00013881).
- Host-state wage tax. Statewide listed rates for Alabama and South Carolina 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 Alabama and South Carolina. 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 Alabama and South Carolina. On-base housing is not in this figure.
- Vehicle title tax and new-resident clocks. Alabama motor-vehicle agency (license 30 days, title 20 days; title tax 4.00%); South Carolina motor-vehicle agency (license 90 days, title 45 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 Alabama and South Carolina. 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 Alabama and South Carolina. Backdrop for off-base purchase prices; on-base housing and BAH are separate.