Military housing areas CA038 and CA024
2026 BAH for San Diego and Camp Pendleton
San Diego County holds two separate 2026 housing areas. Naval Base San Diego's ZIP, 92136, resolves to CA038, SAN DIEGO, CA. Camp Pendleton's 92055 resolves to CA024, CAMP PENDLETON, CA. The two tables sit close together, but they are not the same, and for some grades the Pendleton figure is the higher one.
Source: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, Naval Base San Diego, checked 2026-10-09; MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, Camp Pendleton, checked 2026-10-09; DoD BAH 2026, ZIP-to-housing-area file sorted_zipmha26.txt and mhanames26.txt, checked 2026-10-09.
CA038: Naval Base San Diego
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $3,666 | $2,763 |
| E-5 | $3,975 | $3,147 |
| E-6 | $4,404 | $3,387 |
| E-7 | $4,446 | $3,678 |
| O-1 | $4,032 | $3,351 |
| O-3 | $4,518 | $4,248 |
| O-4 | $5,082 | $4,440 |
Source: DoD BAH 2026, rate files bahw26.dat and bahwo26.dat (May 13, 2026 revision), checked 2026-10-09.
CA024: Camp Pendleton
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $3,627 | $2,739 |
| E-5 | $3,963 | $3,093 |
| E-6 | $4,398 | $3,324 |
| E-7 | $4,494 | $3,642 |
| O-1 | $4,023 | $3,285 |
| O-3 | $4,659 | $4,239 |
| O-4 | $5,085 | $4,494 |
Source: DoD BAH 2026, rate files bahw26.dat and bahwo26.dat (May 13, 2026 revision), checked 2026-10-09.
Side by side, with dependents
| Pay grade | CA038 | CA024 | CA038 minus CA024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $3,666 | $3,627 | $39 |
| E-5 | $3,975 | $3,963 | $12 |
| E-6 | $4,404 | $4,398 | $6 |
| E-7 | $4,446 | $4,494 | -$48 |
| O-1 | $4,032 | $4,023 | $9 |
| O-3 | $4,518 | $4,659 | -$141 |
| O-4 | $5,082 | $5,085 | -$3 |
A negative figure means the Camp Pendleton rate is higher for that grade. The column is plain subtraction of two published rates.
Source: DoD BAH 2026, rate files bahw26.dat and bahwo26.dat (May 13, 2026 revision), checked 2026-10-09.
Where the line runs between towns
City hall ZIPs for Chula Vista (91910), National City (91950), Coronado (92118), Imperial Beach (91932) and Santee (92071) all resolve to CA038. Oceanside's city hall ZIP, 92054, resolves to CA024. That makes Oceanside the one town on this site that sits in the Pendleton area on the DoD map, even though it is in the same county.
Source: DoD BAH 2026, ZIP-to-housing-area file sorted_zipmha26.txt and mhanames26.txt, checked 2026-10-09; City of Chula Vista official website, checked 2026-10-09; City of National City official website, checked 2026-10-09; City of Coronado, Hours and Locations, checked 2026-10-09; City of Imperial Beach official website, checked 2026-10-09; City of Santee official website, checked 2026-10-09; City of Oceanside official website, checked 2026-10-09.
What the allowance is meant to do
The Defense Travel Management Office describes BAH as pegged to local civilian rental costs and says it is not intended to cover all of a member's housing costs. It counts with or without dependents, not how many. Individual rate protection keeps a member's rate from dropping while status stays the same; a PCS move, a reduction in grade or a change in dependency status ends it. Entitlement questions go first to the local finance office or command, which for Navy members means the PSD.
Source: Defense Travel Management Office, Basic Allowance for Housing, checked 2026-10-09.
Rates come from the May 13, 2026 revision of the DoD 2026 ASCII rate files. Only these seven grades are printed.
Sources and dates
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, Naval Base San Diego, opened 2026-10-09.
- MilitaryINSTALLATIONS, Camp Pendleton, opened 2026-10-09.
- DoD BAH 2026, ZIP-to-housing-area file sorted_zipmha26.txt and mhanames26.txt, opened 2026-10-09.
- DoD BAH 2026, rate files bahw26.dat and bahwo26.dat (May 13, 2026 revision), opened 2026-10-09.
- City of Chula Vista official website, opened 2026-10-09.
- City of National City official website, opened 2026-10-09.
- City of Coronado, Hours and Locations, opened 2026-10-09.
- City of Imperial Beach official website, opened 2026-10-09.
- City of Santee official website, opened 2026-10-09.
- City of Oceanside official website, opened 2026-10-09.
- Defense Travel Management Office, Basic Allowance for Housing, opened 2026-10-09.