Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Charleston, SC

Discover affordable housing in Charleston where there are 47+ 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.

Magnolia Downs Apartments

115 Magnolia Rd , Charleston, South Carolina 29407

The Shires

1020 Little John Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Grandview

1850 Magwood Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29414

Ashley Arms Apartments

1120 Crull Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Robert Mills Manor

125 Logan St, Charleston, South Carolina 29401

North Central Apartments

1054 King St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

Shady Grove

1725 Savage Rd , Charleston, South Carolina 29407

The Palace Apartments

900 King St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

Westover Apartments, Inc

4 Palmetto Park Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Bridgeview Village Apartments

108 N Romney St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

Sherman House

1635 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

New Orleans Gardens Apartments

1900 Hazelwood Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Kings Crossing

723 King St , Charleston, South Carolina 29403

St. James Place

800 Affirmation Blvd , Charleston, South Carolina 29412

Seven Farms

305 Seven Farms Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29492

Bridgeview Village

100 N Romney St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

Seven Farms Apartments

305 Seven Farms Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29492

Pinecrest Greene

Raoul Wallenburg Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

Radcliff Manor

200 Coming St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

King Street Apartments

670 King St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Charleston, South Carolina
$30.28/hour
$23.03 (+318%) more than South Carolina minimum wage and $23.03 (+318%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Charleston, South Carolina Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Charleston, South Carolina?

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 Charleston, South Carolina.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Family Self-Sufficiency programs for Charleston, South Carolina.

Go to the South Carolina Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Charleston.

How many renters live in Charleston, South Carolina?

The City of Charleston has 153,743 people living in 68,377 households.

There are 56,924 renters living in 29,627 renter households in this City. Renters make up 37.03 percent of the population living in Charleston.

What is the rental market like in Charleston, South Carolina?

There are an estimated 74,788 housing units in the Charleston area. Of these, 31,962 units are rental homes, making up 43 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Charleston, South Carolina, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Charleston?

The rental vacancy rate in Charleston 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 Charleston for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Charleston
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
1,183 8,731 13,070 4,703 1,153
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Charleston

A large number of apartments in Charleston 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 Charleston are overburdened by housing costs?

Among renter households in this market, 50 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 29 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 Charleston

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,386 to $2,402. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,386
One BR $1,424
Two BR $1,599
Three BR $1,979
Four BR $2,402
2024 Fair Market Rents in Charleston, South Carolina

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

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 452 38 percent
One BR 5,172 59 percent
Two BR 5,698 44 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Charleston, South Carolina

How many affordable rental units are in Charleston?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in Charleston, South Carolina including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 1,634
Public Housing 1,523
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 749
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly 96
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Charleston, South Carolina

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

Income Based Apartments in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston features 2,451 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 Charleston, South Carolina

There are 1,206 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Charleston.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Charleston, South Carolina

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Charleston landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Charleston.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Charleston, South Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,439 and $1,759.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.