Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Columbia, MO

Discover affordable housing in Columbia where there are 26+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Freedom House

107 N William St, Columbia, Missouri 65201

Boone Pointe Affordable Housing

4630 Apple Tree Ln. & 306 St. Joseph St., Columbia, Missouri 65203

Waterbrook Place

413 N Garth Ave, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Gentry Estates I & II

4150 Bethel Street, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Sinclair Estates

1985 West Southampton Drive, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Bryant Walker Apartments II

306 Lasalle Pl., Columbia, Missouri 65203

Bryant Walkway Apartments

9 Bryant Walkway, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Bear Creek Townhomes

Elleta Boulevard, Columbia, Missouri 65202

Patriot Place Apartments

2112 E Business Loop 70, Columbia, Missouri 65201

Oak Towers

700 N Garth Ave, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Stuart Parker Apartments

225 Unity Dr, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Bethel Ridge Estates ll

3850 Bethel St, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Lakewood Apartments

203 Anita Ct, Columbia, Missouri 65201

Columbia Square Apartments

1801 W Worley St, Columbia, Missouri 65203

Hanover Village

1601 Hanover Blvd, Columbia, Missouri 65202

North Hampton Village

7000 N Buckingham Sq, Columbia, Missouri 65202

Harambee House

703 N 8th St, Columbia, Missouri 65201

Bear Creek

1000 Elleta Blvd, Columbia, Missouri 65202

Paquin Towers

1201 Paquin St, Columbia, Missouri 65201

Claudell Lane Phase II

600 Claudell Ln, Columbia, Missouri 65203

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Columbia, Missouri
$19.60/hour
$7.30 (+59%) more than Missouri minimum wage and $12.35 (+170%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Columbia, Missouri Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Columbia, Missouri?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing programs for Columbia, Missouri.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Columbia, Missouri.

Go to the Missouri Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Columbia.

How many renters live in Columbia, Missouri?

The City of Columbia has 128,545 people living in 52,954 households.

There are 55,918 renters living in 27,133 renter households in this City. Renters make up 43.5 percent of the population living in Columbia.

What is the rental market like in Columbia, Missouri?

There are an estimated 54,897 housing units in the Columbia area. Of these, 28,048 units are rental homes, making up 51 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Columbia, Missouri, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Columbia?

The rental vacancy rate in Columbia is 7 percent. This is a higher than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are high it means that there are a lot of available units and rents tend to be lower.

How many rental units are in Columbia for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbia
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,080 4,161 11,255 5,921 3,291
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbia

A large number of apartments in Columbia have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How many renter households in Columbia are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 46 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 28 percent of households are extremely rent overburdened. When renters pay too much for their housing, it leaves little money for other necessities like food, clothes, or medicine.

The federal government says that renters are cost-burdened if they pay more than a third of their monthly income for rent and utilities.

How Much Is Rent in Columbia

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $702 to $1,620. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $702
One BR $861
Two BR $1,035
Three BR $1,386
Four BR $1,620
2024 Fair Market Rents in Columbia, Missouri

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in Columbia?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 554 51 percent
One BR 2,176 52 percent
Two BR 7,171 64 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Columbia, Missouri

How many affordable rental units are in Columbia?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Columbia, Missouri including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,244
Public Housing 119
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 232
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities 71
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Columbia, Missouri

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in Columbia, Missouri

Columbia features 687 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Columbia, Missouri

There are 846 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Columbia.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbia, Missouri

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Columbia landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Columbia.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Columbia, Missouri for a two-bedroom apartment is between $932 and $1,139.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.