Grand Street Apartments

4301 Grand St
Columbia, South Carolina
$530-570
2 BR
Affordable

Arcadia Park

2400 Kneece Rd
Columbia, South Carolina
Call For Rent
1-3 BR
Affordable

Carriage House of Columbia Apartments

110 Amsterdam Drive
Columbia, South Carolina
Call For Rent
1-3 BR
Rent Assisted

Woods Edge Apartments

109 Hillpine Road
Columbia, South Carolina
1 BR
Rent Assisted

Colony Apartments

3545 W Beltline Blvd
Columbia, South Carolina
Income Based
2 BR
Rent Assisted

Gable Oaks

901 Colleton St
Columbia, South Carolina
Call For Rent
1-3 BR
Rent Assisted

River Oaks Apartments

5324 Bush River Rd
Columbia, South Carolina
Call For Rent
1-3 BR
Rent Assisted

Palmetto Terrace

3021 Howell Court
Columbia, South Carolina
Income Based
1-3 BR
Rent Assisted

Colony Apartments

3545 W. Beltline Blvd.
Columbia, South Carolina
Call For Rent
2 BR
Rent Assisted

Waters at Berryhill

18 Berryhill Rd.
Columbia, South Carolina
1 BR
Affordable

There are 3,497 low-income apartments in Columbia that offer reduced rents to eligible households. Low-income rents in Columbia, South Carolina can range from $530 to $570 depending on the number of bedrooms.

Rental assistance programs support 5,536 low-income homes in Columbia where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2023, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $287 towards rent each month.

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Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on February 14th, 2023. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Affordable Housing Near Columbia

View affordable apartments and waiting lists in cities near Columbia

City Apartments
Eastover, SC Affordable Housing programs support 2 apartment communities in Eastover.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Columbia, 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.

Housing Authority Programs
Columbia Housing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH); Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV); Moderate Rehabilitation; Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV)
Go to the South Carolina Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Columbia.

Columbia, South Carolina Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia features 5,536 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, South Carolina

There are 3,497 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Columbia.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbia, South Carolina

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Columbia landlords $600 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, South Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,013 and $1,238.

2023 Columbia, South Carolina Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Columbia, South Carolina Fair Market Rent $944 $996 $1,125 $1,442 $1,724
Columbia, South Carolina Payment Standard Range $850 to $1,038 $896 to $1,096 $1,013 to $1,238 $1,298 to $1,586 $1,552 to $1,896

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Columbia, SC Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 98
Total Low Income Apartments 9,033
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 5,536
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 54.93%
Average Renter Household Size 2.27
Average Household Size 2.31
Median Household Income $41,260 ±$1,069
Median Rent $836 ±$14
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 51.38% ± 2.5pp
Total Population 131,958

Population and Household Demographics

Columbia is a city in Richland County, South Carolina with a population of 131,958. There are 44,506 households in the city with an average household size of 2.31 persons. 54.93% of households in Columbia are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Columbia

The median gross income for households in Columbia is $41,260 a year, or $3,438 a month. The median rent for the city is $836 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Columbia, a household making less than $2,787 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 51.38% of households who rent are overburdened in Columbia.

Area Median Income In Columbia

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Columbia, the AMI is calculated from all households within Richland County.

In Columbia, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $82,400

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Columbia

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Columbia

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Columbia AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$16,950 $19,400 $23,030 $27,750 $32,470 $37,190 $41,910 $46,630
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Columbia AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$28,250 $32,250 $36,300 $40,300 $43,550 $46,750 $50,000 $53,200
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Columbia AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$45,150 $51,600 $58,050 $64,500 $69,700 $74,850 $80,000 $85,150