How much do households in spend on rent?

Updated annually
About $1,272, or 33.2% of their income, in 2024. This is measured by comparing median, or average, rent and median monthly income for renting households.

$1.27K

median monthly rent in South Carolina (2024)

33.2%

average share of income spent on rent in South Carolina (2024)
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates it’s more affordable.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% of their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of average monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.

South Carolina’s rent-to-income ratio was similar to the US overall in 2024.

Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income

The national rent-to-income ratio reached a high of 33.8% in 2011 following the Great Recession. In South Carolina, the rent-to-income ratio reached 34.8% that year. Most recently, in 2024, South Carolina’s rent-to-income ratio was 33.2%, similar to the national rate.

Which South Carolina metros have the most and least affordable rent?

Across metro areas, the average rent-to-income ratio was 30.9% in 2019–2023.

Highlighting metro areas where at least one primary county is in South Carolina

In 2019–2023, the average rent-to-income ratio across metro areas was 30.9%. Metro areas are made up of economically interconnected counties that include at least one urban area. A single metro area can include multiple cities and cross state lines. The metro areas with the highest and lowest ratios were the Ponce, PR area at 52.9% (highest) and the Sheboygan, WI area, at 20.7% (lowest). In South Carolina, the highest and lowest were the Augusta, GA area at 34.6% and the Sumter, SC area at 29.6%.
During that period, the Charleston, SC area had the highest median rent at $1,488 per month and second highest median monthly income at $4,567 out of nine South Carolina metro areas. It’s rent-to-income ratio was fourth highest in South Carolina.

Renter income and rent, South Carolina metro areas (2019–2023)

Metro areas where at least one of the primary counties is within South Carolina

Renter income and rent, South Carolina metro areas (2019–2023)

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.