Here Is What the 2026 WPAFB BAH Rate Actually Rents in Beavercreek, Riverside and Xenia This Month

Families PCSing to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) want one number above all others: how far the 2026 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) goes in the current market. The answer, using October 2026 data, is specific. An E-5 with dependents rate of $1,650 a month covers the Dayton metro's median 3-bedroom rent of $1,538 with about $112 left over, and every with-dependents rate from E-5 up covers a 3-bedroom in Riverside, where the median runs about $1,438. In Beavercreek, the 3-bedroom apartment median runs about $1,897 this month, above even the E-6 rate of $1,851, while Xenia sits well under every with-dependents rate. The tables below convert each rank's allowance into what it rents, what it buys, and what it costs in temporary lodging and moving time.

In our experience helping military families land before a report date, the first question is almost always the same: rent or buy, and where. Our honest answer starts with two numbers you can verify today: your rank's WPAFB BAH rate for 2026, and what comparable floor plans actually rent for this month in the three communities we get asked about most. Every figure in this guide is sourced, and our Military PCS hub collects the full Dayton-area guide set, including gate-by-gate commute times and the VA loan walkthrough, if you want the complete picture.

How much is the 2026 BAH rate for Wright-Patterson AFB by rank?

BAH is set by the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) for the duty station Military Housing Area (MHA) OH231, Dayton, not for the address you choose to rent or buy. That is the single most useful fact for PCS planning: the rate is locked to WPAFB, so it does not drop if you sign a lease in a lower-cost town like Xenia, and it does not rise if you choose a higher-cost suburb. 2026 rates rose an average of 4.2 percent nationally, with the Wright-Patterson table up roughly 6 percent per military pay trackers. The with-dependents rates for the ranks we track most:

Rank	With dependents, monthly	Without dependents, monthly
E-4	$1,533	$1,224
E-5	$1,650	$1,341
E-6	$1,851	$1,422
O-3	$2,097	$1,773

Source: DTMO 2026 BAH tables, Wright Patterson Housing (wrightpattersonhousing.com), and Veteran.com Ohio BAH rates, accessed October 17, 2026. Rates for every rank, grade, and dependency status are on the official DTMO BAH calculator linked below.

How far does the current WPAFB BAH rate stretch in Beavercreek, Riverside and Xenia this month?

Here is the number that matters, in a form you can hand to your spouse tonight. We took the most current asking-rent medians for the three communities families ask about most near the base, all reported in the last four months, and ran each 2026 with-dependents BAH rate against a 3-bedroom unit, the most common family floor plan. "Covered" means the rate clears the median rent; "Short" means it does not, and the figure is the monthly gap.

Community and 3BR median	E-4 · $1,533	E-5 · $1,650	E-6 · $1,851	O-3 · $2,097
Dayton metro MSA · $1,538	Short $5	Covered, +$112	Covered, +$313	Covered, +$559
Beavercreek · $1,897 (apartment median)	Short $364	Short $247	Short $46	Covered, +$200
Riverside · $1,438	Covered, +$95	Covered, +$212	Covered, +$413	Covered, +$659
Xenia · $1,245 (overall median)	Covered, +$288	Covered, +$405	Covered, +$606	Covered, +$852

Rent medians by source and vintage: Dayton metro 3BR $1,538, Rentometer, June 2026; Beavercreek 3BR apartment ~$1,897, PadMapper, September 2026 (house 3BR averages run lower, about $1,785 per ApartmentHomeLiving, August 2026); Riverside 3BR ~$1,438, Rentometer, 2026 (house 3BR average ~$1,541 per ApartmentHomeLiving, October 2026); Xenia overall median $1,245 with 2BR apartments ~$1,231, Zumper, March 2026. HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the Dayton MSA are $1,273 for a 2BR and $1,651 for a 3BR, a useful benchmark for the subsidy that decides what a landlord can accept. Asking rents are medians, not quotes, and vary by floor plan, condition, and season.

Read that table for what it says, and nothing more: the E-5 with-dependents rate clears a median 3-bedroom anywhere in the metro this month, an O-3 rate clears a Beavercreek apartment median with $200 to spare, and no with-dependents rate between E-4 and E-6 covers the full Beavercreek 3-bedroom apartment median today. Families who want Beavercreek inventory at an E-5 or E-6 rate are usually looking at 2-bedroom floor plans, townhomes, or slightly older units below the median, and that is a decision about price point and floor plan, not about any one community being better than another. If drive times to specific gates are the deciding factor for you, our WPAFB commute guide lays out verified minutes from each community to the Area A and Area B gates.

Can BAH cover a mortgage instead of rent near Wright-Patterson?

Often yes, and the purchase math is where the Dayton market rewards the VA loan. The 30-year fixed VA rate averaged roughly 6.5 to 7.2 percent depending on lender in mid-October 2026, per Bankrate and lender rate sheets, when the conventional 30-year average sat near 7.4 percent per Freddie Mac. We sized a BAH-as-payment budget at that VA range: principal and interest at 6.5 to 7.0 percent, a 30-year term, about $300 a month for property tax and homeowner's insurance, zero down with the VA funding fee financed. The result is an honest range, not a quote.

Rank, BAH with dependents	Loan a BAH-sized payment supports	vs. Xenia median ~$224K	vs. Beavercreek median ~$335K
E-4 · $1,533	~$185K-$195K	Short ~$29K-$39K	Short ~$140K-$150K
E-5 · $1,650	~$200K-$215K	Short ~$9K-$24K	Short ~$120K-$135K
E-6 · $1,851	~$235K-$245K	Covered	Short ~$90K-$100K
O-3 · $2,097	~$270K-$285K	Covered	Short ~$50K-$65K

Median sale prices, most recent reporting: Dayton metro $271,500 (Dayton Area Board of REALTORS, September 2026); Beavercreek ~$335,000 (Resideline, six months through September 2026); Riverside ~$187,000 (Redfin, February 2026); Xenia ~$224,000 (Redfin, three months through August 2026); ZIP 45385 ~$210,500 (RealtyTrac, September 2026); Greene County ~$306,000 (Redfin, three months through May 2026). All figures verified October 29, 2026.

Compliance note: this is general educational information, not a loan quote, a rate guarantee, or a pricing opinion. Mortgage rates move daily, taxes and insurance vary by exact parcel, and BAH is not underwriting income: qualifying for a loan uses your base pay and other verifiable income, so families should confirm with a licensed lender before budgeting. Glasshouse Realty does not provide lending services and is not affiliated with a lender under RESPA. If the VA route fits your plan, we built a full walkthrough of eligibility, funding fees, and the 0 percent down advantage at current Dayton price points in our VA loan guide for military buyers near WPAFB.

What is a realistic month-by-month PCS timeline for landing a home before reporting to WPAFB?

The most common planning error we see is treating housing as a "after I arrive" task. On-base housing and the best rental inventory both move on a schedule, and that schedule starts the day orders print. The steps below follow official guidance from the Wright-Patterson housing office, Military OneSource, and the DoD household-goods system, with the day-counts tied to the programs that actually enforce them.

When	Action	Why the timing matters
Day orders arrive, roughly 3-4 months out	Verify your 2026 BAH on the DTMO calculator; apply for on-base housing through HOMES.MIL using the Housing Early Assistance Tool (HEAT); give your current landlord written notice per your lease	Air Force guidance: an application filed within 30 days of arrival preserves your arrival date as the priority date. BAH is set by the duty station MHA, so the rate is locked before you pick an address
2-3 months out	Book Wright-Patterson Inns or a Temporary Lodging Facility unit (reserve 30-60 days ahead); shortlist communities by gate commute; if buying, request a VA pre-approval letter	TLF inventory is limited and fills fastest in peak PCS months; a pre-approval makes a remote offer possible
1-2 months out	Book household goods through move.mil / the Defense Personal Property System; run virtual tours with a local agent; submit rental applications inside the 30-day window before your target move-in; schedule a house-hunting trip	Landlords rarely hold units beyond 30 days; Dayton-area homes near the base can go pending in days, so tours and applications should be ready, not open
2-4 weeks out	Finalize the lease or purchase contract; transfer utilities; plan visitor passes and gate access through the base newcomers page	Closes the gap between temporary lodging and a lease start date
Arrival week	In-process at the Military Personnel Flight; check in with the Military Housing Office if you are on the housing list; file your TLE claim with finance as part of the travel voucher	TLE covers up to 21 days per CONUS move, so keep every lodging receipt and file with the voucher

How much should a PCS family budget for temporary housing and moving?

Temporary lodging is a budget line, not an afterthought, and it is partly reimbursable. The Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) entitlement, under Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) paragraph 0506, reimburses up to $290 a day (counting lodging taxes and fees) for up to 21 days per CONUS PCS move. Reimbursement is per-diem based: 65 percent for one person, 100 percent for two, plus 35 percent per additional dependent, capped at $290. In practice, a family of four in a $112-a-night base TLF unit is typically covered in full. The on-base lodging options at WPAFB this month:

Option	Rate, per night	Notes
Wright-Patterson Inns, Visiting Quarters	$103	Standard guest rooms, reserve by phone, 30-60 days ahead recommended
Wright-Patterson Inns, Business Suites	$111	Suite layout for longer stays
Temporary Lodging Facility (TLF), 2-bedroom	$112	Full kitchen, built for PCS families; limited inventory, some pet-friendly at ~$10/night
TLE reimbursement cap (CONUS)	Up to $290/day	Up to 21 days per move, JTR para 0506; lodging taxes and fees count toward the cap

Sources: Wright-Patterson Inns rate sheet and guest book (wrightpattfss.com), the official base Newcomers housing page, and Military OneSource installation page, all accessed October 17, 2026. Off-base, the Hope Hotel near Gate 12A is the common alternative, and AHRN.com aggregates rental listings near military installations for PCS families.

On-base family housing at WPAFB is privatized and operated by The Properties at Wright Field (2 to 4-bedroom homes in The Prairies and The Woods neighborhoods). There is no fixed published wait; availability depends on rank, bedroom entitlement, and PCS season, and current third-party guidance cites roughly 30 to 60 days for most bedroom categories, so the exact number for your entitlement comes from the Military Housing Office (MHO) at 88 CEG/CEIH, 937-257-6547. The practical takeaway: temporary lodging well past 21 days is uncommon for families who apply to the housing office on day one and run the rental search on the parallel track in Table 4.

What should PCS families know about schools and property taxes near WPAFB?

WPAFB sits inside Greene County, and Beavercreek, Riverside, and Xenia are all Greene County communities, so the county's public records apply across the three markets this guide covers. Ohio publishes annual school report cards through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce at reportcard.education.ohio.gov, with enrollment, attendance, and performance measures for every district in the base area. Property tax records and effective rates for any Greene County parcel are searchable through the Greene County Auditor at auditor.greenecountyohio.gov, with general tax information at greenecountyohio.gov. We keep this guide to objective market data: prices, rents, commute minutes, and public records. School fit and tax tolerance are personal decisions, and the sources above let each family make them with the actual data.

Frequently asked questions about BAH and housing near Wright-Patterson

Does the WPAFB BAH rate change depending on where I rent in the Dayton area?

No. BAH is set by the duty station's Military Housing Area (MHA OH231, Dayton) through the DTMO, not by the address you choose. An E-5 with dependents receives $1,650 a month whether the lease is in Beavercreek, Riverside, Xenia, or anywhere else in the metro, and you keep any difference when rent runs below the rate. If you have no dependents, the applicable rate is the lower without-dependents figure in Table 1.

Can an E-4 or E-5 with dependents cover a family-size rental near WPAFB right now?

Based on October 2026 medians, yes for 3-bedroom units in Riverside ($1,438) and Xenia ($1,245), and essentially at the line for the metro median ($1,538 vs. the E-4 rate of $1,533, short $5). In Beavercreek, the 3-bedroom apartment median of about $1,897 sits above both rates (short $364 at E-4, short $247 at E-5), which points E-4 and E-5 families toward 2-bedroom and townhome floor plans or units below the median in that city. These are price-point comparisons, not character judgments.

How far in advance should I apply for on-base housing at Wright-Patterson?

The day your orders arrive. Submit through HOMES.MIL using the HEAT tool or contact the Military Housing Office (88 CEG/CEIH, 937-257-6547), and note that an application within 30 days of arrival preserves your arrival date as the application date per Air Force guidance. Waits fluctuate by rank, bedroom entitlement, and PCS season; current third-party guidance puts most categories at roughly 30 to 60 days, and the MHO can give you the current wait for your specific entitlement.

Is temporary lodging reimbursed while we wait for base housing or a lease?

Yes, through TLE under JTR paragraph 0506: up to $290 a day, including lodging taxes and fees, for up to 21 days per CONUS move. The on-base TLF 2-bedroom units run $112 a night and fit comfortably inside the cap for a typical family; book them 30 to 60 days out because inventory is limited in peak PCS season. Keep every receipt and file the claim with your travel voucher.

Can BAH cover a mortgage instead of rent near WPAFB?

For many price points, yes. At October 2026 VA rates near 6.5 to 7.0 percent, an E-6 with-dependents BAH of $1,851 supports a loan around $235,000 to $245,000, which clears the Xenia median (~$224,000) and Riverside (~$187,000). The Beavercreek median near $335,000 generally needs supplemental income at current rates. This is general education, not a quote: BAH is not underwriting income, qualifying uses base pay and other verifiable income, and a licensed lender gives the real number.

Where can I verify the exact BAH rate for my rank and today's rent and price data?

Start with the official DTMO BAH calculator (travel.dod.mil), cross-check the Wright-Patterson table at wrightpattersonhousing.com/bah-rates, benchmark rents against HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the Dayton MSA, and pull sale medians from the Dayton Area Board of REALTORS housing data. Greene County Auditor records cover the tax side. Access date for everything cited in this guide: October 17, 2026.

Verified sources and where to check these numbers yourself

All figures in this guide were verified on October 17, 2026. The reporting period is October 2026, and every source below was live on the access date. Where a figure could not be confirmed (for example, a 3-bedroom breakdown for Xenia by property type), we say so rather than estimating.

• 01DTMO BAH: travel.dod.mil BAH and the BAH calculator, official 2026 rates by rank and dependency status
• 022026 WPAFB table: Wright Patterson Housing BAH rates and Veteran.com Ohio 2026 BAH rates
• 03Rents: Rentometer Dayton metro, PadMapper Beavercreek, RentCafe Riverside, Zumper Xenia
• 04Rent benchmark: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents, Dayton MSA: 2BR $1,273, 3BR $1,651
• 05Sale prices: Dayton Area Board of REALTORS housing data, Redfin Xenia, Redfin Riverside, and our own Dayton market report
• 06Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey and Bankrate VA loan rates, mid-October 2026
• 07Base housing and lodging: WPAFB Newcomers housing and lodging, The Properties at Wright Field, Military OneSource temporary housing
• 08Schools and taxes: Ohio school report cards and the Greene County Auditor real estate search
• 09Military rental listings: AHRN.com, free rental and for-sale listings near installations for PCS families