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

Discover affordable housing in Columbia where there are 261+ 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.

Grand Street Apartments

4301 Grand St, Columbia, South Carolina 29203

bed 2
payment $530-570/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Woods Edge Apartments

109 Hillpine Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29212

bed 1
payment Subsidized

Carriage House of Columbia Apartments

110 Amsterdam Drive, Columbia, South Carolina 29210

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized

River Oaks Apartments

5324 Bush River Rd, Columbia, South Carolina 29212

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Colony Apartments

3545 W Beltline Blvd, Columbia, South Carolina 29203

bed 2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Gable Oaks

901 Colleton St, Columbia, South Carolina 29203

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Arcadia Park

2400 Kneece Rd, Columbia, South Carolina 29223

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Hillandale, Lp

525 Alcott Dr, Columbia, South Carolina 29203

payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Arrington Place

1734 Van Heise St, Columbia, South Carolina 29204

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Deer Park

7225 Firelane Rd Ofc , Columbia, South Carolina 29223

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Austin Woods

7648 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29209

bed Studio-3
payment $651/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
payment Income Based
accessibility Accessible

Pinehaven Villas Apartments

1400 Trinity Dr, Columbia, South Carolina 29209

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized

Palmetto Terrace

3021 Howell Court, Columbia, South Carolina 29203

bed 1-3
payment Subsidized

Lakeside Apartments

401 Harbison Blvd, Columbia, South Carolina 29212

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Madison Station

4020 Ulmer Rd , Columbia, South Carolina 29209

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Killian Terrace

508 Longtown Rd., Columbia, South Carolina 29229

bed 1-3
payment $610-1032/mo.
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

The Pointe at Elmwood

2325 Elmwood Ave, Columbia, South Carolina 29204

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Dove Place

150 Daphne Rd, Columbia, South Carolina 29209

bed 2-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Coopers Trace

1411 Lake Murray Blvd, Columbia, South Carolina 29212

switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Ahepa 284 - III

120 Jimmy Love Ln, Columbia, South Carolina 29212

payment Subsidized
elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible

How To Identify Affordable Housing in Columbia, 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.

Badge Description
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, South Carolina
$23.60/hour
$16.35 (+226%) more than South Carolina minimum wage and $16.35 (+226%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Columbia, South Carolina Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve 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.

Operates the 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) programs for Columbia, South Carolina.

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

How many renters live in Columbia, South Carolina?

The City of Columbia has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 43.04 percent of the population living in Columbia.

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

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, South Carolina, there are 1.12 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Columbia?

The rental vacancy rate in Columbia is 9 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
551 7,195 10,826 8,887 1,305
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 $1,036 to $1,917. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $1,036
One BR $1,110
Two BR $1,246
Three BR $1,595
Four BR $1,917
2024 Fair Market Rents in Columbia, South Carolina

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 452 82 percent
One BR 3,915 54 percent
Two BR 5,439 50 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Columbia, South Carolina

How many affordable rental units are in Columbia?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Columbia, South Carolina

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

Income Based Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia features 4,851 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 3,530 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 $1,121 and $1,371.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

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