Active Duty Military Pay

Cost of Living Allowance

To help offset the cost of living in various high-cost areas of the United States, the military offers a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to servicemembers stationed in certain high-cost areas. Servicemembers are eligible for COLA under the following conditions:

• They are assigned to a high-cost area of the United States, which are areas where the cost of living is above 8% of the national average. Currently, the DoD has classified 44 locations in the continental United States as high-cost areas.

• They have a primary dependent living in a high-cost area of the United States while they are overseas completing an unaccompanied tour of duty.

• The primary dependent lives in a high-cost area of the United States because the servicemember is assigned there.