Hawaiʻi BAH and COLA 2026 for Military Families

Key takeaway: An E-4 with dependents gets $3,333 a month in 2026 housing allowance on Oʻahu and $3,819 on Maui. On top of that, Hawaiʻi is one of the few U.S. places with a cost-of-living allowance (COLA), and it’s higher on the neighbor islands. Numbers checked October 30, 2026.

2026 housing allowance (BAH) by county

County	E-4 with / without dependents	E-6 with / without	O-3 with / without
Honolulu (Oʻahu)	$3,333 / $2,598	$3,912 / $3,036	$4,428 / $3,819
Maui	$3,819 / $2,865	$4,770 / $3,579	$5,571 / $4,608
Kauaʻi	$3,588 / $2,757	$4,266 / $3,399	$4,662 / $4,095
Hawaiʻi Island	$3,447 / $2,586	$3,837 / $3,312	$3,945 / $3,744

Monthly, effective Jan 1, 2026. Sources: FedRateCalc copies of DoD BAH data (Honolulu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi). Official lookup: DTMO BAH calculator.

Maui’s rates are above Oʻahu’s at every rank shown, a sign of how much Maui rents rose after the 2023 Lahaina fire. Nationally, BAH rose 4.2% on average for 2026, and members with continuous eligibility are protected from decreases (Air Education and Training Command).

Cost-of-living allowance by island

Island	COLA index (mainland = 100)
Hawaiʻi Island	126
Kauaʻi	126
Maui	118
Molokaʻi	118
Oʻahu	114

Effective Jan 1, 2025, from the DBEDT Data Book Table 14.28, citing DTMO.

The index is used to calculate a monthly payment that depends on rank, years of service and dependents. Since the 2024 defense bill, any decrease is capped and phased in gradually (DTMO). You’ll still see an Oʻahu figure of 120 online. That’s an older number.

Perks

Active-duty members and their families get into Hanauma Bay free with a military ID (Honolulu Parks and Recreation). Matson offers a military discount on car shipping (see our car shipping guide).