Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in Columbus, WI

Discover affordable housing in Columbus where there are 4+ 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.

Carriage Hill

195 Fuller St, Columbus, Wisconsin 53925

Farnham Village

938 Farnham St, Columbus, Wisconsin 53925

The Whitney

100 E James St, Columbus, Wisconsin 53925

Colonial Manor

15 Parkview Cir, Columbus, Wisconsin 53925

calendar_today Opened: Mar 21
Open Until Further Notice

Reported On March 21st, 2024 by Lorena Bentley

The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In Columbus, Wisconsin
$19.38/hour
$12.13 (+167%) more than Wisconsin minimum wage and $12.13 (+167%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About Columbus, Wisconsin Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve Columbus, Wisconsin?

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) programs for Columbus, Wisconsin.
Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for Columbus, Wisconsin.

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

How many renters live in Columbus, Wisconsin?

The City of Columbus has 5,481 people living in 2,467 households.

There are 1,597 renters living in 937 renter households in this City. Renters make up 29.14 percent of the population living in Columbus.

What is the rental market like in Columbus, Wisconsin?

There are an estimated 2,523 housing units in the Columbus area. Of these, 979 units are rental homes, making up 39 percent of the housing market. For every renter household in Columbus, Wisconsin, there are 1 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in Columbus?

The rental vacancy rate in Columbus is 4 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 Columbus for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbus
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
22 373 350 173 19
Occupied Rental Units by Size in Columbus

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

Among renter households in this market, 33 percent have housing cost burden. Further, 13 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 Columbus

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $693 to $1,556. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $693
One BR $779
Two BR $1,023
Three BR $1,439
Four BR $1,556
2024 Fair Market Rents in Columbus, Wisconsin

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

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 17 77 percent
One BR 318 85 percent
Two BR 303 87 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in Columbus, Wisconsin

How many affordable rental units are in Columbus?

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

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit 33
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance 177
USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing 8
Tracked Units by Federal Program in Columbus, Wisconsin

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

Income Based Apartments in Columbus, Wisconsin

Columbus features 36 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 Columbus, Wisconsin

There are 33 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Columbus.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Columbus, Wisconsin

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Columbus landlords $0 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $0 towards rent in Columbus.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Columbus, Wisconsin for a two-bedroom apartment is between $921 and $1,125.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.