Military Buying Power Calculator — RealityCents Hawaii Mortgage

Military Buying Power Calculator

Estimate your total qualifying income and VA loan home purchase power using 2026 military pay tables for Honolulu County.

This calculator uses official 2026 military pay data to estimate your total qualifying income and maximum VA loan purchase price for Honolulu County, Hawaii. Select your pay grade, years of service, and dependency status to see your full income breakdown including Base Pay, BAH, BAS, and COLA.

Service Profile

Spouse and/or children

VA Loan Parameters

$/mo

Car loans, student loans, credit cards, etc.

%

Current VA rates are typically 5.5%–6.5%

%

VA has no hard cap — 50% is common with strong residual income

Monthly Housing Costs (PITIA)

$/mo

Hawaii avg ~0.35% effective rate (~$350/mo on $1.2M)

$/mo

Hawaii avg $150–$250/mo depending on coverage

$/mo

$0 for single-family, $500–$1,000+ for condos

Monthly Income Breakdown

2026 rates for Honolulu County (MHA HI408)

Base PayE-5, 4 years of service
$3,947/mo
BAH (Honolulu)With dependents
$3,663/mo
BASEnlisted rate
$477/mo
COLA (Oahu)Index 120, 1 dependent
$557/mo
Total Qualifying Income
$8,644
Annual qualifying income$103,727

Estimated VA Loan Purchase Power

$0 down payment, 30-year fixed, 2.15% VA funding fee

Maximum Purchase Price

$557,000

at 5.75% with 50% DTI

Monthly PITIA Breakdown

Principal & Interest$3,320
Property Taxes$350
Insurance$150
Total PITIA$3,820

Monthly Debts

$500

Housing Ratio

44.2%

Down Payment

$0

2026 Honolulu VA Loan Limits: 1-unit $1,249,125 | 2-unit $1,599,650 | 3-unit $1,933,450 | 4-unit $2,403,050. Full entitlement = no loan limit cap.

realitycents.com/military-calculator — 2026 estimates

Jay Miller | CMG Home Loans | NMLS #657301

How VA Lenders Count Military Income

Base Pay — Your taxable monthly salary based on pay grade and years of service. This is the foundation of your qualifying income.

BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) — Non-taxable housing allowance based on your duty station (Honolulu County rates shown). VA lenders count this at full face value since it is non-taxable.

BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) — Non-taxable food allowance. $476.95/mo for enlisted, $328.48/mo for officers in 2026. Counted at full face value by VA lenders.

COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) — Oahu CONUS COLA compensates for Hawaii's higher cost of living. Calculated using the DoD spendable income formula with an index of 120 for Oahu. Counted as qualifying income by VA lenders.

Ready to See Your Real Numbers?

This calculator provides estimates based on 2026 published rates. Your actual qualifying income and purchase price depend on credit score, existing debts, residual income, and lender guidelines. Get a personalized pre-approval to know your exact buying power.

Run Detailed Numbers in the Advanced Calculator

See full amortization, VA funding fee breakdown, and comparison mode

Disclaimer: These are estimates based on 2026 published military pay tables, BAH rates for Honolulu County (MHA HI408), BAS rates, and COLA spendable income tables from DTMO. Actual qualification depends on credit score, existing debts, residual income, employment verification, and individual lender guidelines. VA loan limits shown are for Honolulu County. Default property tax, insurance, and HOA values are editable estimates — adjust them to match your target property for a more accurate purchase price. This tool is for educational purposes only and does not constitute a loan offer or pre-approval. NMLS #1820 | Equal Housing Lender.