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Home / Destinations / Air Force / North Dakota / Minot AFB

Air Force · North Dakota · first live destination

Minot AFB. Magic City.

Official pages first. This is a destination note for a PCS to Minot, not the welcome center, and not a ranked cheap-eats list for a young airman. Official rates are on this page with as-of dates. We do not compute a member’s claim.

Not a .mil site. No DoD seals. No official logos. Linked .mil and city pages belong to those agencies. HeyBryx is a private Amazon Associates publication.

Official rates Monthly

Current as of 27 Aug 2026. Direct official government sources only. Not a .mil site. Finance and TMO own the voucher. We do not compute a member’s claim. BAH has individual rate protection. First and last travel day M&IE is 75% per JTR/FTR.

Per diem — Minot / Ward County / ZIP 58705

FY2026 standard CONUS. Effective 1 Oct 2025–30 Sep 2026. GSA master file title: FY2026 Per Diem Rates - Effective October 1, 2025. Standard CONUS lodging $110 / M&IE $68. Zero North Dakota NSA rows. ZIP file lists 58701, 58703, 58704, 58705, 58707 as “Standard Rate,” lodging $110 every month, M&IE $68.

TLE uses this locality per diem. We are not computing days authorized. On-base Sakakawea Inn nightly rates are not copied here — they rot; read 5 FSS lodging.

Sources:

POV mileage

National, relevant to a Minot PCS. GSA Bulletin FTR 26-03, dated 27 Jul 2026. Retrieved 27 Aug 2026. Effective 1 Jul 2026–31 Dec 2026 (cancels FTR 26-02). The January 72.5¢ figure is not current. Do not use it.

BAH — ZIP 58705 / MHA ND191

Calendar year 2026 BAH. Standard effective 1 Jan 2026. DTMO files titled 2026, authored 09 Dec 2025. Monthly rates. Current as of 27 Aug 2026.

ZIP 58705 (also 58701, 58703, 58704, 58707) maps to MHA ND191 “MINOT AFB, ND” in sorted_zipmha26.txt / mhanames26.txt. Figures below are the ND191 line of bahw26.txt (with dependents) and bahwo26.txt (without dependents). Same numbers in the PDF titled 2026 BAH Rates (created 09 Dec 2025). The TX270 Abilene temporary increase does not change ND191.

BAH has individual rate protection. We do not compute a member’s claim. Not a .mil site. Confirm on the official lookup; finance owns the voucher.

MHA ND191 MINOT AFB, ND. Calendar year 2026 BAH, monthly. Current as of 27 Aug 2026.
GradeWith dependentsWithout dependents
E-1$1,428$1,206
E-2$1,428$1,206
E-3$1,428$1,206
E-4$1,428$1,206
E-5$1,548$1,260
E-6$1,980$1,485
E-7$2,052$1,539
E-8$2,127$1,638
E-9$2,229$1,764
W-1$2,001$1,503
W-2$2,082$1,635
W-3$2,178$1,782
W-4$2,247$1,995
W-5$2,343$2,067
O-1E$2,064$1,548
O-2E$2,163$1,737
O-3E$2,262$1,974
O-1$1,605$1,302
O-2$1,977$1,542
O-3$2,175$1,824
O-4$2,367$2,049
O-5$2,508$2,088
O-6$2,526$2,154
O-7 and above$2,541$2,190

Sources: DTMO BAH rate lookup (ZIP 58705) · DTMO 2026 BAH files (ASCII and PDF/Excel ZIPs on that page; retrieved 27 Aug 2026).

DLA — primary table (national)

Current as of 27 Aug 2026. Effective 1 Jan 2026. PDTATAC primary DLA rates from the 01 JAN 26 file (header: DISLOCATION ALLOWANCE (DLA) RATES / PRIMARY DLA RATES / Effective January 1, 2026; footer 12/31/2025). DLA is national, not Minot-specific. We still put it on the destination page.

Secondary DLA is not published here. In this same PDF the secondary section heading still reads Effective January 1, 2025. That heading looks stale. Partial DLA is a separate file, not in this PDF — we are not inventing a partial amount. Use the DTMO DLA page for those files.

Primary DLA rates, effective 1 Jan 2026. Current as of 27 Aug 2026.
GradeWithout-dependentWith-dependent
O-10$5,187.33$6,385.58
O-9$5,187.33$6,385.58
O-8$5,187.33$6,385.58
O-7$5,187.33$6,385.58
O-6$4,758.96$5,749.63
O-5$4,583.51$5,542.06
O-4$4,247.61$4,885.43
O-3$3,404.11$4,041.88
O-2$2,700.31$3,451.28
O-1$2,273.82$3,085.23
O-3E$3,675.83$4,343.80
O-2E$3,124.87$3,919.27
O-1E$2,687.09$3,621.10
W-5$4,315.51$4,715.58
W-4$3,832.45$4,323.11
W-3$3,221.08$3,960.78
W-2$2,860.70$3,643.75
W-1$2,394.55$3,151.31
E-9$3,147.54$4,149.51
E-8$2,888.97$3,824.94
E-7$2,468.19$3,551.31
E-6$2,389.42$3,548.02
E-5$2,389.42$3,548.02
E-4$2,389.42$3,548.02
E-3$2,355.48$3,548.02
E-2$2,025.26$3,548.02
E-1$1,870.58$3,548.02

Sources: DTMO DLA rates, 01 JAN 26 (PDF) · DTMO Dislocation Allowance (dropdown 01 JAN 26).

Arrival, sponsor, lodging Monthly

Hours, phones, and pet-room counts move. Read the live pages. Where official pages disagree, we cite both. We do not flatten the conflict into a fake “current” number of our own.

Sakakawea Inn — cite the conflict, do not pick a winner

Live 5 FSS page (checked 27 Aug 2026): guest services desk Sunday–Saturday 6:00 AM–10:00 PM. 173 Summit Drive. (701) 723-6161. Toll-free 888-AFLODGE (235-6343). 87 rooms, 12 pet-approved TLF, first-come. Check-in 3:00 PM, check-out 11:00 AM. Peak: 15 May–15 September high PCS; late July North Dakota State Fair; early October Norsk HostFest. After-hours check-in is mentioned as an option — details live on that page.

MilitaryINSTALLATIONS temporary housing / check-in: after-hours check-in needs a reservation with a credit card on file. The inn is not staffed 24 hours on that page. Check-in procedures also say lodging and local hotels are booked for state-sponsored events in late July and late September; if you PCS in those windows, make reservations early. A MilitaryINSTALLATIONS housing snippet has also listed 18 pet-friendly family units. That is not the same count as 5 FSS’s 12. We will not pretend they match.

Newcomers fact sheet (current as of Nov. 29, 2021): still says the inn is open 24 hours a day, and lists lodging phone (701) 723-2184. That is not how we describe staffing in 2026. Prefer the live 5 FSS desk hours. We are not telling you the inn is 24-hour staffed as a current fact.

We are not publishing nightly rates. 5 FSS lists them on their page; rates are Monthly and will rot. Read their page.

Single airmen: dorms via sponsor / first sergeant, from the official check-in page — not from a Facebook rumor about “just show up.” Summer lodging crush is official (late July / late September on MilitaryINSTALLATIONS; State Fair / HostFest / May–September PCS season on 5 FSS). Book early. We do not invent a downtown hotel list.

Climate and winter Seasonal / annual

Quoted from the Minot AFB newcomers fact sheet, footer “Current as of Nov. 29, 2021.” That stamp is old. It is still the official sheet. We are not replacing it with a blog’s −40°F story.

The base is approximately 13 miles north of Minot, North Dakota. Conditions tend to be cold, dry and windy. Prevailing wind is from the northwest; gusts of more than 50 mph at times. Average annual snowfall around 40 inches. Record 24-hour snowfall 22 inches. Occasional blizzards. January: average high 17, average 8, average low 2 below zero. Coldest recorded: 40 below ambient, 69 below with wind-chill. Hottest on base 107. July average high 82, low 57. Annual liquid precipitation 17.2 inches. Tornadoes occasionally June–August.

For what it is doing today, use NWS, not this paragraph:

The 2021 fact sheet also listed a 24-hour weather recording at (701) 453-1130. We did not dial it. The number looks like a DSN-style 453 prefix next to a 701 area code (Minot commercial for DSN 453 is typically 701-723). Treat that listing as Monthly and unverified. Use NWS.

Winterize the car. The same official sheet says most people will find an engine block heater a necessity; pack blankets, matches, candles, first aid, non-perishable food, water, jumper cables, tire chains. Studded snow tires are described as optional Oct. 15–Apr. 15. That is the base sheet, not a tire shop. We are not linking a random tire ASIN — tires are vehicle-specific.

Hunting, fishing, boating Seasonal / annual

Seasons change. We will not paste a table that will rot. North Dakota Game and Fish is the official source:

Licenses, zones, and “can I hunt this weekend” are on those pages, not here.

Kid-friendly (parks, library) Seasonal / annual

What people write, not orders: Northern Sentry, “PCS Survival for Coming and Going” (19 Jun 2025) — local journalism. The piece says get library cards (base, Minot Public, Ward County) and download the Minot Parks app. That is a newspaper column, not an AFI.

Utilities Monthly

City of Minot, not a landlord Facebook group. We will not guess which electric company a given street uses. Check the city list and your lease.

On-base family housing is privatized. Utility setup for a Balfour Beatty / Minot AFB Homes address is the housing office’s job, not a paragraph we invent.

Fuel Monthly

We do not publish a price. Check today:

Restaurants and a young airman’s grocery bill Monthly

We will not rank restaurants without a monthly check we are not running. No “top 10 cheap eats.” Menu prices rot. A young airman’s budget is real; the honest line is the commissary plus an official city directory, not a fake Yelp five.

Traffic, distance, wildlife Seasonal / annual Monthly

The official newcomers fact sheet (Nov. 29, 2021) places the base approximately 13 miles north of Minot. We are not inventing a commute time. Ice, wind, and wildlife change the drive. For weather: NWS. For animals and seasons: ND Game and Fish. For city streets: City of Minot.

BAH, per diem, mileage, and DLA: see Official rates.

Meet people Monthly

Official, then journalism. We are not inventing a singles meetup or linking a closed Facebook group.

USO: we did not find a standalone USO center page for Minot. USO-sponsored events have appeared on the 5 FSS calendar. That is not the same as a building. Do not invent one. USO national: uso.org.

Married vs single: official newcomers + M&FRC / dorm guidance above. What people write: the Northern Sentry PCS column’s line about getting library cards and using the parks app is local journalism about getting out among people, not an order.

Public news (no CAC): Minot AFB public affairs / news · DVIDS — 5th Bomb Wing · City of Minot.

Material kit add-on for this climate

The national empty-house cart is still kit.html (sleep, cook, shower, light). For Minot winter, the official newcomers sheet is the winter-survival source. Class-based Amazon only, tag heybryx-20, same 4.0★ + in-stock rule as the kit. Checked 27 Aug 2026 via curl of amazon.com/dp/{ASIN} with no tag.

engine block heater

Class, not a random freeze-plug

The official sheet says most people will find a block heater a necessity, especially if the car is not in a garage. Freeze-plug and corded OEM heaters are vehicle-specific. We will not pick a random ASIN for your engine. Magnetic pan heaters are a more universal class; they only stick to steel/iron, not aluminum, and they are not a substitute for a correctly installed engine heater. The common Kat’s 1160 magnetic listing (ASIN B00JRPIF5Q) was currently unavailable on Amazon on 27 Aug 2026. No button.

Example of the class, not a ranked test. Ask Auto Hobby / a local shop / your vehicle manual. We are an Amazon Associate. Disclosure.

emergency car kit — blanket, shovel, jumper

Class: blanket, compact shovel, jumper cables

Matches the official packing list (blankets, jumper cables; a shovel is the honest extra for a ditch). Bundled “roadside kits” often omit the shovel or go out of stock. CARTMAN kit ASIN B00R19PRYW was 4.7★ and currently unavailable on 27 Aug 2026; it also did not include a shovel. Other candidate ASINs 404’d. No button. Buy the three pieces you actually need. Do not wait for a pretty bag.

Example of the class, not a ranked test. Winter tires: vehicle-specific — described, not linked.

Studded snow tires: optional on the official sheet, Oct. 15–Apr. 15. We cannot pick a sane universal ASIN. Describe the class. Do not click a random tire.

Minot weekly notes

There is no live MailerLite list on this page. We will not pretend there is.

If you want a weekly draft of public local / Air Force / base news — public affairs, DVIDS, and city only, no CAC-gated stuff — email Shaun. Subject line: Minot weekly notes. He reads it before anything is sent. We do not auto-subscribe you. We do not send mail from this form.

Email Minot weekly notes

Sources

Every URL used on this page. Official first, then journalism labeled as journalism.

  1. Minot AFB newcomers fact sheet (Current as of Nov. 29, 2021)
  2. MilitaryINSTALLATIONS Minot check-in procedures
  3. MilitaryINSTALLATIONS Minot temporary housing
  4. MilitaryINSTALLATIONS Minot AFB
  5. MilitaryINSTALLATIONS home
  6. Plan My Move
  7. 5 FSS Sakakawea Inn
  8. 5 FSS / MWR home
  9. 5 FSS Military & Family Readiness Center
  10. 5 FSS Base Library
  11. 5 FSS Outdoor Recreation / loan closet
  12. Homes.mil HEAT
  13. Air Force Housing — Minot
  14. NWS Bismarck Minot IDSS
  15. NWS climate (WFO Bismarck)
  16. ND Game and Fish
  17. NDGF hunting season dates
  18. NDGF fishing regulations
  19. Minot Park District
  20. Minot Public Library
  21. Northern Sentry — PCS Survival for Coming and Going (journalism)
  22. City of Minot utility companies
  23. City of Minot utility billing
  24. City of Minot water and sewer
  25. City of Minot
  26. Visit Minot
  27. AAA fuel gauge
  28. EIA gasoline and diesel
  29. GasBuddy
  30. DeCA Minot AFB Commissary
  31. Commissary shop store page
  32. GSA FY2026 Per Diem Master Rates file
  33. GSA FY2026 ZIP code file
  34. GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 26-01
  35. GSA per diem lookup
  36. GSA Bulletin FTR 26-03 (POV mileage)
  37. DTMO BAH rate lookup (ZIP 58705 → MHA ND191)
  38. DTMO 2026 BAH files (ASCII ZIP: bahw26.txt / bahwo26.txt / sorted_zipmha26.txt / mhanames26.txt; PDF titled 2026 BAH Rates, authored 09 Dec 2025; retrieved 27 Aug 2026)
  39. DTMO Dislocation Allowance
  40. DTMO DLA rates, 01 JAN 26 (PDF)
  41. Minot AFB Chaplain Corps
  42. Minot AFB News / public affairs
  43. DVIDS 5th Bomb Wing
  44. USO (national; no Minot center page found)
  45. MOS Air Force PCS moving assistance

Unclear on purpose

Climate figures above are the official sheet’s, dated Nov. 29, 2021. Recheck NWS for now. Official rates above are current as of 27 Aug 2026 from GSA/DTMO files. This page is a template for later bases: official first, conflicts in the open, no reprint-site numbers.