Below-median FMR - Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
HUD FY2026 2-BR Fair Market Rent for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,276/month - 48th percentile of 396 published metro FMR areas (#191 cheapest→expensive) ; voucher vs ACS median: 16.4% above market ; FMR rows touch Calhoun County, Fairfield County, Lexington County, Richland County, Saluda County .
Geography note: HUD divides this CBSA into 2 separate Fair Market Rent areas, each with its own rent schedule. The amounts above are for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area only, not the whole metro.
Lower-half placement for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
Below the national median. Ladder neighbors: Abilene, TX MSA; Sumter, SC MSA; Memphis, TN-MS-AR HUD Metro FMR Area; Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA .
High-FMR contrast (not peers): Colorado Springs, CO HUD Metro FMR Area, Corvallis, OR MSA, Chico, CA MSA, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL HUD Metro FMR Area, Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL HUD Metro FMR Area, Charlottesville, VA MSA .
SC-state FMR neighbors for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
Closest 2-BR amounts inside SC: Sumter, SC MSA ($1,276); Spartanburg, SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,187); Anderson, SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,173); Darlington County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,098); Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,465); Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA ($1,787); Beaufort County, SC HUD Metro FMR Area ($1,816) . Alphabetical “nearby” lists are intentionally not used here - amount proximity is the comparison that matters for payment standards.
What are the HUD FY2026 bedroom FMRs for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area?
| Size | HUD FMR |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,032/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,164/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,276/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,623/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,911/mo |
Section 8 payment standard range for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
HUD lets each Public Housing Authority set its payment standard between 90% and 110% of the published Fair Market Rent for the bedroom size served. These dollar amounts are derived from HUD FY2026 FMR for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area; your PHA may choose a figure inside this band. This is not a quote for a specific unit, availability, or waitlist status.
| Size | HUD FMR | 90% floor | 110% ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,032/mo | $929/mo | $1,135/mo |
| 1-BR | $1,164/mo | $1,048/mo | $1,280/mo |
| 2-BR | $1,276/mo | $1,148/mo | $1,404/mo |
| 3-BR | $1,623/mo | $1,461/mo | $1,785/mo |
| 4-BR | $1,911/mo | $1,720/mo | $2,102/mo |
For a 2-bedroom in Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area, the HUD reference rent is $1,276/month, so the lawful payment-standard band runs $1,148–$1,404/month before any tenant income share.
HUD FMR filing-year trail · Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
Published two-bedroom Fair Market Rent for this HUD area across FY2022-2026. Year-over-year deltas compare adjacent fiscal years only. This is a historical HUD reference-rent series, not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, availability, eligibility, or waitlist result.
- Latest 2-BR
- $1,276
- FY2026
- vs prior FY
- -1.7%
- from FY2025 $1,298
- Span change
- +28.9%
- FY2022-2026
- Years shown
- 5
- HUD FMR history
| FY | 2-BR FMR | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $990/mo | - |
| 2023 | $1,125/mo | +13.6% |
| 2024 | $1,246/mo | +10.8% |
| 2025 | $1,298/mo | +4.2% |
| 2026 | $1,276/mo | -1.7% |
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rents historical series for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area, FY2022-2026. Adjacent-year deltas only.
ACS median 2-BR rent $1,096/mo → 16.4% above market (generous). Detail: gap analysis for Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area.
PHAs naming Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBIA · 4,723 HCV units
Need the full directory? Browse all HUD PHA records in South Carolina . The directory does not report current availability or waitlists.
SC agencies near this metro's scale key
Housing authorities in SC whose HCV caseload sits closest to a CBSA-stable scale target (not the statewide giants list - that list was identical across siblings):
- CHARLESTON CO HSG & REDEV AUTH
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF MYRTLE BEACH
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF AIKEN
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF GREENWOOD
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF SUMTER
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF FLORENCE
- SC REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY NO 1
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BEAUFORT
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF ROCK HILL
- SC REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY NO 3
Full near-amount ladder
- Abilene, TX MSA · $1,276
- Sumter, SC MSA · $1,276
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,274
- Cleveland-Elyria, OH MSA · $1,279
- Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH MSA · $1,273
- Lexington-Fayette, KY MSA · $1,272
- Louisville, KY-IN HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,272
- Lyon County, NV HUD Metro FMR Area · $1,272
- Sebring, FL MSA · $1,271
- Elmira, NY MSA · $1,283
- Pueblo, CO MSA · $1,269
- Akron, OH MSA · $1,268
What to do with this FMR desk
Columbia, SC HUD FY2026 2-BR FMR is $1,276/mo; use the schedule as a source desk, not a lease quote.
- Read the FY2022-2026 filing trail (+28.9% across the span) before comparing peers. FMR history on this page
- Cross-check the 1 PHA record tied to this market against the HUD directory profile. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBIA
- Open the voucher-vs-market gap board for this CBSA (16.4% above market). Metro gap page
- Confirm how PHAs may set payment standards at 90-110% of FMR, and why the two figures are not interchangeable. FMR vs payment standard
FMR is HUD's published Fair Market Rent for this FMR area. It is not a PHA payment standard, unit quote, eligibility result, or waitlist status. Confirm any leasing figure with the PHA that serves the unit.
Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent (FY2026) ; Census ACS median gross rent. Confirm the live PHA figure before leasing. Methodology.
Verify with HUD → · Verify with U.S. Census Bureau → · Set a September HUD update reminder