Last updated August 12, 2026

Average Rent in Columbia, SC & Rent Trends

Rent prices and market trends across 13 apartment communities in Columbia, SC. Updated daily.

Area All Areas Downtown Midtown - Downtown Shandon

Columbia 29210

Beds All Bedrooms Studio 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed 4 Bed

Market Average

$1,933/mo

▼ 4.7% from last month

Lowest Available

$800/mo

cheapest unit on market

Communities

tracked daily

Units Listed

187

available now

Price Cuts This Week in Columbia, SC

29 listed units across 6 buildings in Columbia, SC dropped their asking rent in the past 7 days, an average cut of $110/mo. These are the largest cuts, tracked unit by unit with daily price checks.

Apartment	Unit	Last Week	Now	Cut
Fowler Real Estate	Unit E	$2,700	$2,100	$600
Bennet at BullStreet	Unit 1-203, A5	$2,480	$2,267	$213
Bennet at BullStreet	Unit 2-228, A6	$2,585	$2,372	$213
Bennet at BullStreet	Unit 1-413, A5	$2,346	$2,140	$206
Bennet at BullStreet	Unit 2-127, A6	$2,730	$2,530	$200
Bennet at BullStreet	Unit 1-411, A5	$2,299	$2,140	$159
Fowler Real Estate	Unit 93f31d76-8e56-440a-bbed-2ef93557729d	$2,650	$2,500	$150
Fowler Real Estate	Unit 9c54284a-2dd5-4cbd-a2d3-ff056b0adde1	$1,400	$1,250	$150

See today's prices on all 187 listed units

Rent by Neighborhood in Columbia, SC

Compare average rent across Columbia, SC neighborhoods. Click any area to see detailed trends. View these neighborhoods on the rent map

Neighborhood	Avg Rent	30d Change	From	Properties	Units
Midtown - Downtown	$2,019	▼ $52	$950	6	89
Downtown	$1,923	▲ $69	$1,580	1	19
Shandon	$1,902	▲ $252	$800	5	65
Columbia 29210	$1,549	▲ $48	$1,275	1	14

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Columbia, SC?

As of August 2026, the average rent in Columbia, SC is $1,933 per month across 13 apartment communities and 187 available units. Rents have decreased $81 (4.7%) over the past month.

The most affordable option is Fowler Real Estate starting at $800/mo. By unit type, a studio averages $1,742/mo, a 1-bedroom averages $1,921/mo, a 2-bedroom averages $1,849/mo, a 3-bedroom averages $2,122/mo, a 4-bedroom averages $2,043/mo.

Prices range from $800 to $3,525 per month. The most common price point is the $1,600 range, where 39 units are currently listed.

Columbia, SC Rent Price History

Timeframe

View as table

Month	Avg Rent	Change	Properties
May 2026	$1,675	-	6
June 2026	$1,703	+$28	10
July 2026	$1,760	+$57	12
August 2026	$1,766	+$6	13

The trend line and monthly averages track each building's average listed price, recorded daily with outliers trimmed. The current month is a month-to-date figure, so it can sit above or below today's live market average shown at the top of this page.

Average Rent by Bedroom

Rent Price Distribution

Rent by Bedroom Type in Columbia, SC

Studio

$1,742

from $1,531 · 7 units

1 Bed

$1,921

from $800 · 71 units

2 Bed

$1,849

from $850 · 65 units

3 Bed

$2,122

from $1,300 · 36 units

4 Bed

$2,043

from $1,200 · 8 units

Rent Prices by Apartment in Columbia, SC

Property	Starting at	Average	Units	Rating
Fowler Real Estate	$800/mo	$1,556/mo	8	3.7
Wolfe & Taylor, Inc.	$950/mo	$1,430/mo	13	3.6
The Shandon Group	$975/mo	$1,507/mo	15	3.5
Hampton Greene Apartment Homes	$1,185/mo	$1,378/mo	8	3.5
VERVE Columbia	$1,200/mo	$1,315/mo	3	5
Broad River Trace	$1,275/mo	$1,549/mo	14	4.4
The Moore Company	$1,400/mo	$2,220/mo	13	4.2
CMM Realty Inc	$1,495/mo	$1,728/mo	6	3.4
Sola Station	$1,531/mo	$1,835/mo	30	3.6
Brookland and 4 West	$1,580/mo	$1,923/mo	19	4.2
Devine District	$1,720/mo	$2,317/mo	21	4.7
Vista Commons Apartments	$1,808/mo	$1,957/mo	5	4.5
Bennet at BullStreet	$2,140/mo	$2,560/mo	32	4.5

Frequently Asked Questions About Rent in Columbia, SC

What is the average rent in Columbia, SC?

The average rent in Columbia, SC is $1,933 per month as of August 2026, based on 187 units across 13 apartment communities.

Is rent going up or down in Columbia, SC?

Rent in Columbia, SC has decreased $81 (4.7%) over the past month. The current average is $1,933/mo.

What is the cheapest apartment in Columbia, SC?

The most affordable apartment in Columbia, SC is Fowler Real Estate with units starting at $800/mo.

How much is a 1-bedroom apartment in Columbia, SC?

A 1-bedroom apartment in Columbia, SC averages $1,921/mo, with prices starting at $800/mo across 71 available units.

How many apartments are available in Columbia, SC?

There are 187 units available across 13 apartment communities in Columbia, SC.

What salary do I need to live comfortably in Columbia, SC?

Built on the 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Minimum to afford average rent

$77,000/year

Based on the 30 percent rule, using our tracked average rent of $1,933/mo.

Comfortable income

$93,000/year

Based on the 25 percent rule, leaving more room for savings, transport, and groceries.

To afford the cheapest tracked apartment ($800/mo), you need to earn at least $32,000/year.

Median household income in Columbia, SC is $55,653 , about 40% below the comfortable-living threshold.

Cost of living in Columbia, SC

Overall prices in Columbia, SC runs below the national average by about 7% (BEA Regional Price Parity index 93.2, where 100 equals the U.S. average). The breakdown below estimates monthly costs for a single adult, using national consumer-spending baselines from the Bureau of Labor Statistics scaled by Columbia, SC's regional price parities.

Category	Monthly estimate	Source
Rent (market average)	$1,933	daily refresh
Utilities	$337	BLS × BEA RPP
Groceries	$518	BLS × BEA RPP
Transportation	$804	BLS × BEA RPP
Healthcare	$392	BLS × BEA RPP
Other goods and services	$628	BLS × BEA RPP
Estimated total	$4,612/mo	$55,348/year

Population

138,019

Median household income

$55,653

Census median rent

$1,158/mo

Rent as % of income

34.5%

Median age

28.7

Mean commute

17 min

Methodology

Rent data

Sourced directly from each tracked apartment community and refreshed every 24 hours. Every listed unit price on this page is real and listed today.

Cost of living

Estimates combine national consumer-spending baselines from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Survey) with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (MARPP dataset). Both are peer-reviewed federal data releases published annually.

Salary to live comfortably

Applies the standard 25 to 30 percent rent-to-income rule on top of the listed rent. This is the same affordability guideline used by most landlords and credit-scoring models.

Demographic figures

Median household income, population, median age, commute time, Census median rent, and rent as percentage of income come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the most recent complete release.

Cost of living and demographic figures were last published in 2023.

South Carolina Rent Trends

Compare rent across all South Carolina cities

Columbia, SC Neighborhood Rent Map

See rent history by neighborhood on a map

Explore Columbia, SC on Map

See neighborhoods and rent data interactively

US-wide rent comparison

See how Columbia, SC rents stack up against the national median