If you are stationed in San Diego as part of a military branch, you may decide you don’t want to live on base. There are a variety of reasons why people prefer not to. You may not wish to have your personal life intertwined so much with your career. Living on base can be stressful because of all the rules that apply to households there.
The base may not have enough housing for your needs at that point in time. Perhaps they only have family housing available and you are single or the other way around. It isn’t always balanced when it comes to who is stationed at which location for military housing in San Diego. This can result in an overflow of people who need to look for outside housing.
Close to the Base
Many of the military housing options are close to the base. Within 20 minutes or less you will be able to get to your job. You can choose to live further out if you want a different location and you don’t mind the daily commute. Many enlisted personnel like to be close to the base though so they can report immediately if there is an emergency situation.
Plenty of Choices
There is no shortage of places to live when it comes to off-base military housing. You can stay in a one or two bedroom apartment. You may opt to live alone or you may stay with another person so you can split the costs. Perhaps you have a significant other moving to the area with you but they can’t live on base because you aren’t married. Getting a place off-base where you can both live may be the solution you are happy with. Many of these apartments are furnished and that can be helpful to you as well.
BAH
For active military selecting to live off base in San Diego, BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) can be allocated. This is an amount of money given each month to compensate for housing expenses. The amount isn’t based on the actual cost of your location. It is based on the cost of living in that area. To find out how much you would qualify for, use online tools. You can enter your location, your military rank, and if you have dependents or not.
Based on this information, you will get your BAH amount. This can help you to determine if the place you wish to rent is going to be something that fits well in your budget or not. It is a good idea to have this amount figured out before you start to look around for off-base housing. It will help you narrow your search to those in your affordable range.
