If you have orders to Hawaii, housing is probably the first thing on your mind. This section covers what your BAH looks like here, what homes cost near each base, and how VA loans work in Hawaii, including a few local rules that trip people up.
Most service members in Hawaii are on Oahu. There are about 43,000 active-duty members statewide, and the vast majority are stationed in Honolulu County.
Bases
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Navy and Air Force), on the south shore near the airport.
- Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Airfield (Army, 25th Infantry Division), in Central Oahu next to Wahiawa.
- Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, on the Mokapu Peninsula between Kailua and Kaneohe.
- Fort Shafter (Army, U.S. Army Pacific headquarters), between Kalihi and Moanalua.
- Camp H.M. Smith (INDOPACOM headquarters), in Halawa Heights above Aiea.
- Tripler Army Medical Center, on Moanalua Ridge.
- Coast Guard Base Honolulu on Sand Island, and Air Station Barbers Point at Kalaeloa.
- Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands (Navy), on Kauai’s west side near Kekaha.
- Pohakuloa Training Area (Army), on the Big Island’s Saddle Road. It’s a training area with no family housing.
BAH at a glance (2026)
| Housing area | E-5 with dependents | E-5 without | O-3 with dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oahu (HI408) | $3,663 | $2,856 | $4,428 |
| Kauai (HI414) | $3,798 | $3,162 | $4,662 |
| Big Island (HI409) | $3,594 | $3,042 | $3,945 |
| Maui County (HI407) | $4,329 | $3,246 | $5,571 |
Oahu isn’t the highest-paying housing area in Hawaii. Maui County and Kauai pay more at most grades. See every grade on our Hawaii BAH rates page.
What homes cost near the bases
| Area | Single-family median | Condo median | Average rent | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ewa Beach / Kapolei (Ewa Plain) | $950,000 | $610,000 | $3,811 (Ewa Beach) | Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Barbers Point |
| Makakilo | $1,030,000 | $524,500 | not available | Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Barbers Point |
| Pearl City / Aiea | $1,145,000 | $420,000 | $2,728 (Pearl City), $2,700 (Aiea) | Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Camp Smith, Shafter, Tripler |
| Salt Lake / Moanalua | $1,225,000* | $450,050* | not available | Shafter, Tripler, Camp Smith, Pearl Harbor-Hickam |
| Kalihi | $1,084,363* | $360,000* | not available | Shafter, Tripler, Sand Island |
| Waipahu | $965,000 | $475,000 | $2,700 | Schofield, Pearl Harbor-Hickam |
| Mililani | $1,110,000 | $518,000 | not available | Schofield, Wheeler |
| Wahiawa | $810,000* | $300,000* | $2,100 | Schofield, Wheeler |
| Kaneohe | $1,299,000 | $675,000 | $3,560 | Marine Corps Base Hawaii |
| Kailua | $1,740,000 | $780,000 | $5,700 | Marine Corps Base Hawaii |
Medians are by Honolulu Board of Realtors region for the 12 months through August 2026, from Locations Hawaii. Rows marked * are first-quarter 2026 figures from Fidelity National Title, because the 12-month figure wasn’t published for that area. Rents are Zillow’s average asking rent across all listing types, not a median, and change week to week. For the whole island, the September 2026 median was $1,110,000 for a single-family home and $523,000 for a condo.
Buying with a VA loan in Hawaii
- With full entitlement there’s no VA loan limit. If you still have a VA loan open, the county limit matters: $1,249,125 on Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island, and $1,299,500 in Maui County for 2026.
- A lot of Hawaii property is leasehold. VA requires the lease to run at least 14 years past the end of the loan, so a 30-year loan needs about 44 years left on the lease.
- Condos need VA approval. You can look up a building in VA’s condo report before you write an offer.
- Hawaii is on the list of states where VA usually requires a termite inspection.
More detail, including the funding fee and county property tax breaks for disabled veterans, is on our VA loans in Hawaii page.
On-base housing
| Base | Family housing run by |
|---|---|
| Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Navy) | Ohana Military Communities, managed by Hunt |
| Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Air Force) | Hickam Communities |
| Schofield, Wheeler, Fort Shafter, Tripler, Aliamanu | Island Palm Communities |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Camp Smith | Ohana Military Communities, managed by Hunt |
| Coast Guard | Island Palm Communities (Kia’i Kai Hale), plus a few Coast Guard-owned quarters |
| PMRF Barking Sands | About 70 homes on base |
Army housing wait times at the time of writing ran from immediate to about a month for enlisted families and up to 60 days for officers, with the summer PCS season busiest. Soldiers have to check in with the housing office within seven workdays of arriving, even if they plan to live off post.
Schools
There are no Department of Defense (DoDEA) schools in Hawaii. Schools on and off base are part of the Hawaii State Department of Education, and your address decides which school your kids attend.
Sources
- 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing rates released, Dec. 11, 2025
- 2026 BAH rates by Hawaii county (Honolulu, Kauai, Hawaii, Maui pages), FedRateCalc, checked Oct. 25, 2026
- Hawaii BAH rates by county, VetCalc
- Oahu real estate market holds steady in August 2026, Locations Hawaii, Sept. 5, 2026
- Oahu stats, first quarter 2026, Fidelity National Title & Escrow of Hawaii
- Oahu monthly market report, September 2026, Honolulu Board of Realtors
- Ewa Beach rental market trends, Zillow, updated Oct. 26, 2026
- Pearl City rental market trends, Zillow, updated Oct. 15, 2026
- Honolulu rental market trends (includes nearby Aiea and Kailua averages), Zillow, updated Oct. 4, 2026
- Waipahu rental market trends, Zillow, updated Aug. 15, 2026
- Wahiawa rental market trends, Zillow, updated Aug. 15, 2026
- Kaneohe rental market trends, Zillow, updated Aug. 15, 2026
- VA home loan limits, VA.gov, updated Aug. 12, 2025
- FHFA announces conforming loan limit values for 2026, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Nov. 25, 2025
- 38 CFR 36.4354, Estate of veteran in real property, eCFR via Cornell LII
- VA condo report (approved condo lookup), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam housing, Military OneSource
- U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii housing, Military OneSource
- Marine Corps Base Hawaii housing, Military OneSource
- Base Honolulu relocation handbook, U.S. Coast Guard, June 2021
- Military families, Hawaii State Department of Education
- State of Hawaii Data Book 2024, Section 10 (defense), DBEDT
General information as of October 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm rates and rules with your housing office, your lender and the VA before you make a decision.