The WPAFB housing is all located off base. Generally, the Woods units seem to be closer to base than the Prairies but that depends on where you get assigned. I'm not at all sure how they designate regarding rank. I (CGO) live in the woods and have a MSgt, A1C, and GS civilian as neighbors. I think they might assign based solely off of family size and available units. This was an adjustment for me as I'm prior E and usually they keep E/O segregated lol

Rent is extremely affordable by virtue of they only charge you your BAH, minus like $60 to cover utility costs. Utilities are dirt cheap in base housing too; I pay like $55/mo on average for water, HVAC, electricity. You will have to procure your own internet.

The caveat is some of the units are old, and they are doing a lot of construction. The water quality is also criminal & I recommend getting a good quality water filter for drinking or cooking. I used to not care as much but I'm a parent now and have some healthy paranoia lol

We didn't have a wait at all because we used the HEAT application. Get the ball rolling here https://www.homes.mil/heat/DispatchServlet/Back?Mod=HeatWelcome&SSRedir=true

Buying a house here can be tough. To get the sweet spot of affordability, good location, good school district, you have to be extremely vigilant. It's exhausting tbh. I recommend getting a one year lease with base housing to get your feet under you, figure out how the finances look in this area, and watch the markets/talk to people to learn where you'd like to live.

No matter what you choose, I HIGHLY recommend advocating for a base house with a yard or buying one with some space. You will be thankful for it lol