Naval Base Point Loma
NavyCA, US
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Subs, SPAWAR, and the BAH That Doesn't Quite Reach
Naval Base Point Loma is the constituent installation under the NAVBASE San Diego umbrella that hosts the West Coast submarine force, the Navy's Pacific information warfare nucleus, and Commander Third Fleet — all sitting on the most desirable peninsula in San Diego. Submarine Squadron 11 and the assigned LA-class fast-attack boats live on Ballast Point. NIWC Pacific and NAVWAR — the Navy's information warfare and C5ISR brain trust — live in the Old Town Complex 10 minutes north. C3F runs Pacific fleet operations from the bayfront. The recruiter said 'San Diego' and he absolutely was not lying: this is one of the most beautiful operational concentrations in the United States Navy, the climate is the one your in-laws fly out to escape, and Sunset Cliffs is a 10-minute drive from the SUBASE. The recruiter also forgot to mention that BAH for an E-5 with deps is $3,975 and the 3BR you actually want is $4,800 plus utilities. California's top income tax rate is 13.3% which is the highest in the nation, but most career Navy families keep their TX/FL/WA SLR under SCRA and pretend they're just visiting (because, legally, they are). Don't confuse Point Loma with NB San Diego (32nd Street, the surface piers) or NB Coronado (the SEAL and air side across the bay) — three different installations, one umbrella, fifteen different gate decals. The submariners will tell you Point Loma is the only proper home in the fleet. The surface fleet will disagree. Both have a point. Both are paying $5,000 a month in rent.
32.6889°N, 117.2447°WCA, US
San Diego, CA (on base)
|Mediterranean coastal — mild year-round, dry summers, gentle wet winters, marine layer mornings|extreme COLNaval Submarine Base San Diego (SUBASE / CSS-11 home)Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC PAC) HQCommander, Third Fleet HQOld Town and Point Loma split campus
PCS Intel
Major UnitsCommander, Naval Base Point Loma (host, under Commander Navy Region Southwest / CNRSW) · Naval Submarine Base San Diego — home of Submarine Squadron 11 (CSS-11) and homeport for assigned LA-class fast-attack submarines · Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) HQ — successor to SSC Pacific / SPAWAR · Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) HQ · Commander, Third Fleet (C3F) · Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (NMAWC) · Fleet Intelligence Training Center Pacific (FITCPAC) · Fleet ASW Training Center Pacific (FLEASWTRACENPAC) · Naval Special Warfare Group ONE elements (NSW command is at NB Coronado; some tenant detachments) · Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar (some Point Loma admin support)
PopulationNB Point Loma overall supports ~22,000 military and civilian personnel across the constituent installations and 70+ tenant commands
Nearest AirportSan Diego International (SAN) — 10 min (across the bay from the SUBASE area); LAX — 2.5 hrs north
HousingNB Point Loma is a constituent of NAVBASE San Diego (umbrella) along with NB San Diego (32nd St) and NB Coronado. Some on-base unaccompanied housing (UH) at Point Loma and SUBASE. Family housing primarily routes through the broader San Diego region — Liberty Military Housing manages the privatized portfolio across NAVBASE San Diego. Off-base in Point Loma proper, Ocean Beach, Bay Park, Clairemont, Mira Mesa, and South Bay (Chula Vista, Imperial Beach) is the practical default. BAH is high but San Diego rents are higher — 3BR rentals routinely $3,500-$5,500 depending on neighborhood and proximity.
SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District serves Point Loma neighborhoods — Point Loma High School is well-regarded. Coronado USD, Cajon Valley Union, Poway Unified, and Sweetwater Union (South Bay) are alternatives depending on housing choice. No DoDEA San Diego schools.
MedicalBranch Health Clinic Naval Base Point Loma provides primary care and limited specialty on the installation. Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD, Balboa Park, 15-20 min) is the regional Navy MTF — full hospital, Level II trauma, comprehensive specialties. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (1 hr north) is the alternative for North County. Civilian Tricare network in San Diego is deep.
Spouse EmploymentExcellent — San Diego is a deep professional labor market in biotech (Sorrento Valley), defense contracting (General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Cubic), tech, healthcare, and higher ed (UCSD, SDSU, USD). NIWC Pacific and NAVWAR are major DoD civilian employers and structurally favorable for technical spouses with security clearances. Remote work culture is mature.
Commute / GatesNB Point Loma is split across multiple campuses: Submarine Base San Diego (SUBASE / Ballast Point side), Naval Base Point Loma (Old Town Complex on the bay side near I-5), Fleet ASW Training Center, and the Harbor Drive Annex. Cross-campus driving is a routine fact of life. Rosecrans Street and Catalina Boulevard are the primary gate approaches; traffic spikes during PT release and end of duty.
Local AreaPoint Loma is the peninsula that defines San Diego Bay — postcard coastal community with a strong Navy and Portuguese fishing heritage, family-friendly walkable neighborhoods (Loma Portal, Roseville, Sunset Cliffs), and immediate access to Ocean Beach and the broader San Diego coast. The peninsula has cliffs that drop into the Pacific, the historic Old Point Loma Lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument at the southern tip, and the highest concentration of working sailors per square mile in the Navy. The structural quality-of-life upside is real; the structural cost-of-living downside is also real. San Diego is the most expensive major Navy fleet concentration on the West Coast and the cost will be felt.
RecreationCabrillo National Monument and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse (on the base peninsula) · Ocean Beach pier and surf scene · Sunset Cliffs Natural Park · Mission Bay, Coronado Island, La Jolla Cove · Pacific Beach, Sunset Cliffs, and the broader San Diego beach circuit
The Good
- +Postcard San Diego climate and beach lifestyle
- +Major Pacific submarine and information warfare hub
- +Real airport (SAN) 10 min away
- +Naval Medical Center San Diego nearby for full inpatient care
The Bad
- −Extreme cost of living — among the highest CONUS
- −California state income tax and registration costs
- −Traffic on I-5, I-8, I-15 is structurally bad
- −Multiple separated campuses — Old Town vs Point Loma vs Harbor Drive Annex
By the Numbers
DFAS · state revenueBAH 2026 · MHA CA038
Grade
w/ dependents
w/o dependents
E-4
$3,666
$2,763
E-5
$3,975
$3,147
E-6
$4,404
$3,387
E-7
$4,446
$3,678
E-8
$4,488
$4,065
E-9
$4,671
$4,188
O-1
$4,032
$3,351
O-2
$4,401
$3,873
O-3
$4,518
$4,248
O-4
$5,082
$4,440
O-5
$5,493
$4,458
Tax & Domicile
State Income Tax
California: graduated 1% to 13.3% (top rate is highest in the nation), per CA Franchise Tax Board. Active-duty military pay for SMs domiciled outside California (under SCRA) is not subject to CA tax — military pay is taxed only by SLR state. SMs domiciled IN California pay full CA rates on military pay. MSRRA extends the SLR protection to spouses since 2009; the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022 allows the SM/spouse to elect either SM SLR, spouse SLR, or duty station as the joint tax residence.
Sales Tax
CA state base 7.25% + local district taxes. San Diego County combined ~7.75% in unincorporated areas; City of San Diego 7.75%; National City 8.75%; Chula Vista 8.75%. Some districts higher. Vehicle sales tax on first CA titling 7.25-10.25% — non-resident military exemption applicable with proper documentation.
Vehicle Registration
CA DMV annual registration: base fee + Vehicle License Fee (VLF, ~0.65% of vehicle value), Transportation Improvement Fee ($25-188 by value), and county-level fees. CA registration is among the most expensive in the country — a new $40K vehicle can run $500-700/year. Smog check required biennially after 8 years (non-applicable for vehicles under 8 years). Non-resident military exemption (NRM) available under SCRA for SMs with non-CA SLR — maintain registration in SLR state.
Domicile Play
SCRA preserves SLR; MSRRA extends to spouses; VAEIA 2022 allows joint election. The structural play for non-CA-native SMs is to maintain a no-tax-state SLR (TX/FL/TN/WA/NV/NH/AK/SD/WY) throughout the assignment. CA SLR is rare among career military and almost never advantageous unless retiring locally. The annual W-2 savings for an O-4 family maintaining TX SLR versus accidentally establishing CA residence can exceed $8K-12K/year.
Family Logistics
Childcare
CDC
Navy Region Southwest CYP operates CDCs across NAVBASE San Diego including the Point Loma SUBASE CDC. Ages 6 weeks–5 years; full-day, hourly, and before/after-school programs. MilitaryChildCare.com is the canonical waitlist — San Diego waitlists are persistently long given the population density.
EDIS
EDIS (Educational and Developmental Intervention Services) coordinated through Naval Medical Center San Diego for ages birth-3 with developmental needs. EFMP enrollment is well-supported given the depth of San Diego specialty pediatric care (Rady Children's Hospital is one of the best in the country).
Off-base options
San Diego County has a deep licensed civilian childcare market across Point Loma, Mission Hills, Bay Park, Clairemont, Mira Mesa, and South Bay. CA Department of Social Services (Community Care Licensing) maintains the public license registry. Fee Assistance Program offsets civilian costs when CDC slots unavailable.
Pets
Breed Restrictions
Liberty Military Housing NAVBASE San Diego (Point Loma and broader portfolio) follows DoD/Navy restricted-breed policy: Pit Bull family (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Staffordshire Bull Terrier), Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, and wolf hybrids prohibited. Max 2 pets typical. Verify current Liberty policy at lease signing.
Vet Access
Naval Base San Diego Veterinary Treatment Facility (US Army Veterinary Corps) serves NAVBASE San Diego pets. Civilian veterinarians are dense across San Diego including specialty/24-hour ER veterinary at Veterinary Specialty Hospital (Sorrento Valley), VCA Animal Specialty Group, and others. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (Davis, ~8 hrs north) is the regional academic teaching/specialty resource.
Healthcare on the Ground
MTF
Branch Health Clinic Naval Base Point Loma — outpatient primary care, flight medicine for some tenants, basic specialty, pharmacy, and dental. Inpatient and full specialty routes to Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) at Balboa Park (15-20 min) — large full hospital, Level II trauma, comprehensive specialties, Navy GME teaching facility. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (~1 hr north) is the alternative for North County.
Specialty Referrals
NMCSD has unusually strong in-house specialty depth — cardiology, oncology, GI, orthopedics, neurosurgery, behavioral health, comprehensive women's health, and L&D. Off-base Tricare West (TriWest) referrals when needed. Rady Children's Hospital is the regional academic pediatric tertiary (one of the top US children's hospitals); UC San Diego Health and Scripps systems are deep adult academic/tertiary destinations.
Mental Health Access
NMCSD Behavioral Health, embedded behavioral health for Submarine Force Pacific elements, and operational psychology support for NIWC tenant commands. Submarine community-specific behavioral health pathways given the operational stress profile. Military OneSource 1-800-342-9647. Military Crisis Line 988 press 1.
Civilian Tricare Network
Tricare West network in San Diego is excellent — Sharp Healthcare, Scripps Health, UC San Diego Health, Kaiser Permanente, and the Rady Children's system all participate broadly. Specialty depth is among the best in the country for any duty station. North County (Pendleton catchment) participates similarly.
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