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

Discover affordable housing in Charleston where there are 70+ 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 Magnolia Downs Apartments

Magnolia Downs Apartments

115 Magnolia Rd , Charleston, South Carolina 29407

bed 1-3
Image of The Palace Apartments

The Palace Apartments

900 King St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Ashley Arms Apartments

Ashley Arms Apartments

1120 Crull Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Robert Mills Manor

Robert Mills Manor

125 Logan St, Charleston, South Carolina 29401

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible
Image of Westover Apartments, Inc

Westover Apartments, Inc

4 Palmetto Park Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Image of Bridgeview Village Apartments

Bridgeview Village Apartments

108 N Romney St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

payment Subsidized
Image of Sherman House

Sherman House

1635 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Image of New Orleans Gardens Apartments

New Orleans Gardens Apartments

1900 Hazelwood Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

payment Subsidized
Image of Kings Crossing

Kings Crossing

723 King St , Charleston, South Carolina 29403

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of St. James Place

St. James Place

800 Affirmation Blvd , Charleston, South Carolina 29412

elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible
Image of Seven Farms

Seven Farms

305 Seven Farms Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29492

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Image of The Shires

The Shires

1020 Little John Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible
Image of Shady Grove

Shady Grove

1725 Savage Rd , Charleston, South Carolina 29407

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of North Central Apartments

North Central Apartments

1054 King St, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible
Image of Grandview

Grandview

1850 Magwood Dr, Charleston, South Carolina 29414

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible
Image of Middleton Cove

Middleton Cove

2274-2284 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29414

bed 1
payment $1400/mo.
Image of The Palms

The Palms

311 Royal Palm Blvd, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

bed 2
payment $1330/mo.
Image of The Avenues of West Ashley

The Avenues of West Ashley

2225 Ashley River Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29414

bed 1
payment $1285/mo.
Image of The Jaunt

The Jaunt

1840 Carriage Ln, Charleston, South Carolina 29407

bed 1-3
payment $1200-1802/mo.
Image of Palmetto Grove

Palmetto Grove

7927 St Ives Rd, Charleston, South Carolina 29406

bed 1-3
payment $1223-1694/mo.

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Charleston, South Carolina

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 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 people living in households.

There are renters living in 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 housing units in the Charleston area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Charleston, South Carolina, there are 1.08 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
StudioOne-BedroomTwo-BedroomThree-BedroomFour+ Bedrooms
1,1838,73113,0704,7031,153
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 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 Size2024 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 SizeCount of Units Below FMRPercentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio45238 percent
One BR5,17259 percent
Two BR5,69844 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 ProgramUnit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
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.

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