A practical PCS comparison for 2026 military pay, housing allowance, and take-home planning.
Open the calculator in another tab and run the scenario with your exact rank, years of service, duty state, dependency status, TSP percentage, and insurance settings. These articles explain what to compare, while the calculator gives the estimate.
Texas often wins on state tax simplicity because there is no state income tax. California can still produce higher gross compensation in expensive military housing markets because BAH may be much higher near San Diego, Monterey, Los Angeles, or the Bay Area. The right answer depends on duty ZIP, dependency status, housing choice, and whether you are a resident or protected nonresident under SCRA.
An E-5 should compare base pay, BAS, BAH with dependents, federal withholding, state withholding, TSP contribution, SGLI, and local out-of-pocket housing costs. Base pay is the same nationwide, but BAH and state tax rules can move the real monthly budget by hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Run both locations with the same rank, years of service, dependency status, TSP percentage, and insurance settings. Then compare the estimated monthly take-home pay against expected rent, commute, utilities, childcare, and spouse employment assumptions.
No. Base pay is federal and is the same by rank and years of service. Location changes BAH, state tax treatment, and local cost of living.
Sometimes. A high California BAH market can offset part of the tax and cost difference, especially if a family finds housing below BAH.
Use the main military pay calculator for take-home pay and the BAH calculator for housing allowance comparisons.