Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam is the Navy and Air Force base on Oahu’s south shore, about 8 miles from downtown Honolulu. It was formed in 2010 by combining Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base, and it’s home to Pacific Air Forces headquarters and more than 160 Navy commands.
This page covers on-base housing, the neighborhoods people usually live in off base, what those areas cost, and how far 2026 BAH goes there.
On-base housing
- Navy family housing is run by Ohana Military Communities, managed by Hunt. It has 4,435 Navy homes in 23 housing areas, some of them up to 17 miles from the base.
- Air Force family housing on the Hickam side is run by Hickam Communities, with 2,484 homes.
- Wait lists for Navy housing are posted monthly by housing area on the Navy housing (CNIC) site. Check the current list before you decide, since wait times change with the PCS season.
- Housing offices: Navy Housing Service Center, 4825 Bougainville Dr., Honolulu; Military Housing Office (Hickam side), 200 Kokomalei St., Bldg. 6500.
Where people live off base
Most families who live off base look west toward Ewa Beach and Kapolei, or north and east toward Pearl City, Aiea and Salt Lake. Single-family homes on the Ewa Plain have a lower median than Pearl City, Aiea or Salt Lake, but condos there cost more, and the drive in runs through heavy H-1 and H-201 traffic at rush hour. Pearl City, Aiea and Salt Lake are closer to the gates.
| Area | Single-family median | Condo median | Average rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ewa Beach / Kapolei (Ewa Plain) | $950,000 | $610,000 | $3,811 (Ewa Beach) |
| Makakilo | $1,030,000 | $524,500 | not available |
| Pearl City / Aiea | $1,145,000 | $420,000 | $2,728 (Pearl City), $2,700 (Aiea) |
| Salt Lake / Moanalua | $1,225,000* | $450,050* | not available |
| Waipahu | $965,000 | $475,000 | $2,700 |
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.
How far BAH goes
For 2026, Oahu BAH is $3,333 a month for E-1 through E-4 with dependents, $3,663 for an E-5, $3,912 for an E-6 and $4,428 for an O-3. Compared with Zillow’s average asking rents, an E-5 with dependents is well above the Pearl City and Aiea averages (about $2,700) and a little under the Ewa Beach average (about $3,800). Those averages mix studios and big houses, so a three- or four-bedroom home will usually rent for more.
If you’re thinking about buying, condos near the base have medians between about $420,000 (Pearl City/Aiea) and $610,000 (Ewa Plain). A VA loan with no down payment is common, but check that the building is VA-approved and whether the land is leasehold. Our VA loans in Hawaii page covers both.
Water and Red Hill
In late 2021, fuel from the Navy’s Red Hill storage facility got into a well serving the base water system, affecting about 93,000 people. As of August 2026 the EPA had found the base’s water system free of fuel contamination. The Red Hill facility is on track to close in 2028, though the cleanup is expected to run well beyond that. Lawsuits are still moving: the Justice Department said in June 2026 that it had paid about $17 million to 629 plaintiffs, and a separate case brought by service members was appealed to the Ninth Circuit in October 2026.
Schools
There are no DoDEA schools in Hawaii. Elementary schools serving base housing include Mokulele, Hickam, Aliamanu, Pearl Harbor Kai, Pearl Harbor and Nimitz. Aliamanu Middle feeds Radford High. Which school your kids attend depends on your address, on or off base.
See the other bases and statewide numbers on our Hawaii military housing guide, or every grade on the Hawaii BAH rates page.
Sources
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam overview, Military OneSource
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam housing, Military OneSource
- Navy housing, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Commander, Navy Installations Command
- Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Wikipedia
- 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
- 2026 BAH rates by Hawaii county (Honolulu, Kauai, Hawaii, Maui pages), FedRateCalc, checked Oct. 25, 2026
- Hawaii BAH rates by county, VetCalc
- Extent of Red Hill fuel cleanup still undetermined, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Aug. 27, 2026
- DOJ says $17M in Red Hill fuel spill settlements paid to 629 plaintiffs, Hawaii News Now, June 24, 2026
- Service members file appeal in Red Hill case, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Oct. 10, 2026
- JBPHH education, Military OneSource
- Military families, Hawaii State Department of Education
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.