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

Discover affordable housing in Columbia where there are 66+ 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.

Image of Orchard Crossing Apartments

Orchard Crossing Apartments

4810 Circling Hunter Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1-2
payment $995-1195/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible
Image of Park View at Columbia

Park View at Columbia

7070 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Sierra Woods

Sierra Woods

8712 Airybrink Lane, Unit #104, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1-4
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Owen Brown Place

Owen Brown Place

7080 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1-2
payment Subsidized
Image of Hickory Ridge Place

Hickory Ridge Place

10799 Hickory Ridge Rd, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Harper House Apartments

Harper House Apartments

5495 Cedar Ln, Columbia, Maryland 21044

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Forest Ridge Apartments

Forest Ridge Apartments

5866 Stevens Forest Road, Unit #2, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Shalom Square

Shalom Square

6220-6080 Foreland Garth, Columbia, Maryland 21045

bed 1
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Progressive Housing Partners

Progressive Housing Partners

10381 Barcan Cir, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 3
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability
Image of St Matthew House

St Matthew House

7261 Eden Brook Dr, Columbia, Maryland 21046

bed 1
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
accessible_forward Disability
Image of Waverly Gardens Senior Apartments

Waverly Gardens Senior Apartments

10801 Enfield Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21163

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Waverly Winds

Waverly Winds

5501 Cedar Lane, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-4
Image of Roslyn Rise

Roslyn Rise

10339 Twin Rivers Rd, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-4
payment Subsidized
Image of Rideout Heath

Rideout Heath

5869 Harpers Farm Road, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-4
Image of Ranleagh Court

Ranleagh Court

5951 Turnabout Lane, Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-4
Image of Fall River Terrace

Fall River Terrace

5869 Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia, Maryland 21044

bed 1-4
Image of Monarch Mills

Monarch Mills

7600 Monarch Mills Road, Columbia, Maryland 21046

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible
Image of Perpetual Revolving Fund Building #2

Perpetual Revolving Fund Building #2

3493 N Chatham Rd, Columbia, Maryland 21044

Image of Perpetual Revolving Fund Building #1

Perpetual Revolving Fund Building #1

3489 Chatham Rd, Columbia, Maryland 21044

Image of Supported Living Building #6

Supported Living Building #6

7218 Lasting Light, Columbia, Maryland 21044

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Columbia, Maryland

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

BadgeDescription
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable
Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing - or NOAH - is any housing unit that offers affordable rent without participating in a rent subsidy program.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Columbia, Maryland
$36.80/hour
$21.80 (+145%) more than Maryland minimum wage and $29.55 (+408%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Columbia, Maryland Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Columbia, Maryland?

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, Maryland.

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

How many renters live in Columbia, Maryland?

The City of Columbia has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 37.51 percent of the population living in Columbia.

What is the rental market like in Columbia, Maryland?

There are an estimated housing units in the Columbia area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Columbia, Maryland, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Columbia?

The rental vacancy rate in Columbia is 6 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

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

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbia
StudioOne-BedroomTwo-BedroomThree-BedroomFour+ Bedrooms
4564,4585,8472,6121,070
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 Much Is Rent in Columbia

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $1,379 to $2,849. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio$1,379
One BR$1,582
Two BR$1,943
Three BR$2,519
Four BR$2,849
2024 Fair Market Rents in Columbia, Maryland

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 SizeCount of Units Below FMRPercentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio27260 percent
One BR1,37931 percent
Two BR94716 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Columbia, Maryland

How many affordable rental units are in Columbia?

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

Federal ProgramUnit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 236 Rental Assistance
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Columbia, Maryland

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

Income Based Apartments in Columbia, Maryland

Columbia features 1,128 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, Maryland

There are 643 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Columbia.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbia, Maryland

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Columbia landlords $1,400 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $600 towards rent in Columbia.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Columbia, Maryland for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,749 and $2,137.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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