My parents bought a new house and...?

If you are military on active duty then the military either gives you a house for FREE on post or they give you a monthly allowance to cover the costs of renting or buying a house. This allowance is called BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing). This allowance varies by rank, whether the military member has dependants, and location and is generally based on rental prices near the post of base. For instance - if I lived in Phoenix AZ then my BAH would be $1278 because I'm an E-5 and I have dependants (a non military spouse and child.)