Military COLA Calculator

Look up the official DTMO Overseas COLA index for any OCONUS duty station, on the base-100 CONUS scale, including the localities where COLA is not authorized.

By Konstantin Iakovlev · Updated October 2026 · Source: DTMO (Defense Travel Management Office)

COLA Index

132

100 = average CONUS. An index of 132 means COLA-type goods and services cost about 32% more than in average CONUS.

Cost vs. average CONUS

+32%

COLA-type goods and services

In effect since

1 Oct 2026

this locality

Index range in Germany

120–156

64 localities listed

Location Detail

Country or territoryGermany
Duty stationAnsbach (B)
Locality codeDE228
COLA index132
In effect since1 Oct 2026
Lowest index in this countryBamberg (B) — 120
Highest index in this countryMunich (Incl Furstenfeldbruck and Oberpfaffenhofen) (B) — 156

The index is not your payment. Overseas COLA is paid as a percentage of spendable income (Regular Military Compensation minus housing, taxes, savings, life insurance, gifts and contributions), not of base pay. Spendable income varies by pay grade, years of service and number of dependents, so two members at the same station with the same index are paid different amounts. For the dollar figure, use the official DTMO Overseas COLA Rate Lookup.

Source: DTMO Overseas COLA index table, effective 1 Oct 2026 — 657 localities across 196 countries and territories. DTMO reissues the table on the 1st and 16th of each month, and indexes also move with exchange rates, so confirm today's figure with DTMO before relying on it.

Use the Military COLA Calculator above to calculate your results. Enter your values and see instant results — all calculations run in your browser.

Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, financial, or legal advice. Results are estimates based on the information you provide and current rates. Always consult a qualified tax professional or financial advisor for advice specific to your situation.

How It Works

The Defense Travel Management Office publishes an Overseas COLA index for every OCONUS locality, and that index is what this page looks up. The scale is anchored at 100, which stands for the average cost of COLA-type goods and services in the continental United States. A locality carrying an index of 128 is one where the same groceries, fuel, car insurance and childcare run about 28 percent above that CONUS average. DTMO builds each index from local market-basket pricing and the annual Living Pattern Survey, weighted against Bureau of Labor Statistics data on how military families actually spend their money.

The index is not the payment, and that is where most COLA estimates online go wrong. Overseas COLA is paid as a percentage of spendable income, which DTMO defines as Regular Military Compensation minus housing, taxes, savings, life insurance, gifts and contributions. Spendable income moves with pay grade, years of service and number of dependents, so two members at the same base with the same index are paid different amounts. Nothing on this page multiplies your base pay by a percentage, because the allowance does not work that way. For the dollar figure, DTMO's own Overseas COLA Rate Lookup takes your grade, years of service and dependent count and returns what is actually payable.

Indexes move. DTMO reissues the whole table on the 1st and 16th of every month, exchange-rate swings can change an index as often as every pay period, and decreases are capped at 10 points and phased in at 2 points a month under the FY24 NDAA. Some duty stations carry no index at all: Misawa in Japan, Incirlik (Adana) in Turkey and Spain's Canary Islands all show None on the 1 October 2026 table, which means overseas COLA is not payable there for anyone. That list changes as well: Okinawa, Iwakuni, Kure, Camp Fuji, Eta Jima and Shariki showed None until mid-September 2026 and now carry indexes of 102 to 104. Overseas COLA is non-taxable and sits apart from BAH and OHA, which cover housing under separate rules, while CONUS COLA is a different allowance for high-cost locations inside the continental US and is taxable.

Example: reading the index for Kaiserslautern, Germany (1 October 2026 table)

  1. 1 Input: Country or territory = Germany, Duty station = Kaiserslautern Military Community, locality code DE700. That single entry covers Ramstein, Landstuhl, Bann, Einsidlerhof, Miesau, Pirmasens and the other communities grouped with it.
  2. 2 Lookup: the 1 October 2026 DTMO table gives DE700 a COLA index of 130, in effect since 1 October 2026.
  3. 3 Read it: 130 against a base of 100 means COLA-type goods and services around Kaiserslautern cost roughly 30 percent more than the CONUS average. Germany's 64 listed localities run from 120, at Bamberg and Vilseck/Grafenwoehr, up to 156 at Munich and Pfullendorf, so Kaiserslautern sits in the lower middle of the country.
  4. 4 Compare: Misawa (JP023) shows None instead of a number. No index means no overseas COLA at that duty station, whatever your grade or dependent status. Okinawa (JP027) showed None as well until DTMO gave it an index of 102 on 16 September 2026, raised to 104 on 1 October.
  5. 5 Result: the index on its own is not a dollar amount and not a percentage of base pay. Take your grade, years of service and dependent count to the DTMO Overseas COLA Rate Lookup for the payable figure, since the allowance is a percentage of spendable income.

Source: DTMO (Defense Travel Management Office) · Last updated: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Who receives military COLA?
Overseas COLA goes to members assigned outside the continental US, which covers foreign duty stations plus Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the other non-foreign OCONUS areas, wherever DTMO has published a COLA index above 100 for that locality. Where the table shows None instead of an index, as it does for Okinawa, Misawa and Iwakuni, no overseas COLA is payable at all. CONUS COLA is a separate allowance for high-cost areas inside the continental US, and neither one is housing money: BAH and OHA cover that.
Is military COLA taxable?
Overseas COLA is not taxable. CONUS COLA is taxable income included in your federal and state tax obligations. This is an important distinction because the tax-free status of overseas COLA makes it more valuable dollar for dollar.
How often is military COLA adjusted?
DTMO reissues the overseas COLA index table on the 1st and 16th of every month, so a locality's index can be revised as often as twice a month. Indexes are reviewed annually against the Living Pattern Survey and market-basket price data, and they also move with exchange rates, which can take effect as often as every pay period. Decreases are capped at 10 points and phased in at 2 points per month under the FY24 NDAA. CONUS COLA rates are set annually.

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