Cost of living in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina has about 139,643 people. Typical rent is $1,204 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $55,529 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #79 in South Carolina on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $1,204 a month.
Columbia is a city in South Carolina. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $55,529 a year.
- People
- 139,643
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $1,204
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $55,529
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $264,300
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,226
- Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
- Gas
- $4.035
- Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C), week of October 12, 2026
Columbia, South Carolina has about 139,643 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $264,300.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Richland County is $1,226 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Columbia. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Columbia, SC metro area, prices sit at 93.7 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
South Carolina taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 7.5% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Columbia's exact store tax.
In July 2026, a typical South Carolina home paid 15.47¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Columbia's bill.
EIA does not publish a South Carolina gasoline price. For the week of October 12, 2026, the Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) all-grades price was $4.035 a gallon. At 12,000 miles a year and 25 mpg, the index counts that as $1,936.80 a year. Those miles are our standard, not a Census figure, and every town in South Carolina shares this price.
Among 246 places we list in South Carolina with a rent figure, 63 have higher typical rent than Columbia.
Nearby places
- Woodfield
Typical rent $1,169
Compare with Columbia - Dentsville
Typical rent $1,250
Compare with Columbia - Forest Acres
Typical rent $1,263
Compare with Columbia - Capitol View
Typical rent $1,181
Compare with Columbia - Arthurtown
Typical rent $830
Compare with Columbia - Cayce
Typical rent $1,360
Compare with Columbia - Hopkins
Typical rent $799
Compare with Columbia - Elgin
Typical rent $1,278
Compare with Columbia
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in South Carolina
Bigger places in South Carolina
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.