; Low Income Apartments For Rent in Charleston, SC

Apply to Charleston Apartment Waiting Lists

Magnolia Downs Apartments

115 Magnolia Rd
Charleston, South Carolina
Call For Rent
1-3 BR

The Palace Apartments

900 King St
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

Ashley Arms Apartments

1120 Crull Dr
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Robert Mills Manor

125 Logan St
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
Public Housing

Westover Apartments, Inc

4 Palmetto Park Rd
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202

Bridgeview Village Apartments

108 N Romney St
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
Rent Assisted
PBRA
BMIR
S236

Sherman House

1635 Raoul Wallenberg Blvd
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202

New Orleans Gardens Apartments

1900 Hazelwood Dr
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
PBRA
BMIR

Kings Crossing

723 King St
Charleston, South Carolina

St. James Place

800 Affirmation Blvd
Charleston, South Carolina
Subsidized
Senior
S. 202

Seven Farms

305 Seven Farms Drive
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
LIHTC

The Shires

1020 Little John Dr
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
HOME
LIHTC
BMIR

Shady Grove

1725 Savage Rd
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
HOME
LIHTC

North Central Apartments

1054 King St
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
HOME
LIHTC

Grandview

1850 Magwood Dr
Charleston, South Carolina
Rent Assisted
LIHTC
Showing Results 1-15

There are 1,206 low-income apartments in Charleston that offer reduced rents to eligible households.

Rental assistance programs support 2,451 low-income homes in Charleston where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2024, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $355 towards rent each month.

Affordable rent data for some communities last confirmed on June 25th, 2024. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Charleston, 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.

Housing Authority Programs
Housing Authority of the City of Charleston Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing
Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Family Self-Sufficiency
Go to the South Carolina Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Charleston.

Charleston, South Carolina Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston features 2,451 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 Charleston, South Carolina

There are 1,206 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Charleston.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Charleston, South Carolina

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Charleston landlords $600 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Charleston.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Charleston, South Carolina for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,439 and $1,759.

2024 Charleston, South Carolina Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Charleston, South Carolina Fair Market Rent $1,386 $1,424 $1,599 $1,979 $2,402
Charleston, South Carolina Payment Standard Range $1,247 to $1,525 $1,282 to $1,566 $1,439 to $1,759 $1,781 to $2,177 $2,162 to $2,642

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Charleston, SC Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 60
Total Low Income Apartments 3,718
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 2,451
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 46.5%
Average Renter Household Size 2.19
Average Household Size 2.32
Median Household Income $55,546 ±$1,757
Median Rent $1,022 ±$30
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 49.32% ± 2.96pp
Total Population 127,694

Population and Household Demographics

Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina with a population of 127,694. There are 52,450 households in the city with an average household size of 2.32 persons. 46.5% of households in Charleston are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Charleston

The median gross income for households in Charleston is $55,546 a year, or $4,629 a month. The median rent for the city is $1,022 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Charleston, a household making less than $3,407 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 49.32% of households who rent are overburdened in Charleston.

Area Median Income In Charleston

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Charleston, the AMI is calculated from all households within Charleston County.

In Charleston, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $101,300

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Charleston

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Charleston

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Charleston AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$20,450 $23,350 $26,250 $30,000 $35,140 $40,280 $45,420 $50,560
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Charleston AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$34,050 $38,900 $43,750 $48,600 $52,500 $56,400 $60,300 $64,200
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Charleston AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$54,450 $62,200 $70,000 $77,750 $84,000 $90,200 $96,450 $102,650