Metro FMR · CBSA 16700 · HUD FY2026

Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA metro area - 70% above the US average.

$1,630
1-bedroom FMR
$1,787
2-bedroom FMR
-0.9%
YoY change
+70%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA area rents at $1,787 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 52% above the US average, higher than 84% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#62
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+52%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$71,480
income to afford it (30% rule)
-0.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Charleston-North Charleston: #62 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $82,272, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 23.8% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

The 2-bedroom figure places Charleston-North Charleston in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 803,398 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 7.7% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 10.3%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,488/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,787 runs 20.1% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 47.6% of the 102,602 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$1,557/mo

22.7% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,630/mo

23.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,787/mo

26.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,222/mo

32.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,562/mo

37.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·16700

Charleston-North Charleston: $1,630/mo 1BR · #62 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 16700

  • CBSA 16700
  • 1BR-FMR $1,630
  • 2BR-FMR $1,787
  • RANK-MID #62
  • YOY-FLAT -0.9%
  • VSUS-HIGH +70%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 SC
  • INC-MID 24%
  • POP-MAJOR 803K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anderson
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,467–$1,793
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anderson ($595 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Charleston-North Charleston sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,787 Top 16% higher than 84% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). This entry sits in this band. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

What this shows #62 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 52% above the national 2-bedroom average. 40 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

CBSA 16700

Counties inside Charleston-North Charleston

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 16700, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,787–$1,787, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Charleston County 2BR $1,787 · 410K Berkeley County 2BR $1,787 · 231K Dorchester County 2BR $1,787 · 162K

Charleston-North Charleston studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #62 nationally

1BR $1,630 (+70% vs US, -0.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 16700.

Studio
$1,557
US avg $893
↓1.6% YoY +74% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,630
US avg $959
↓0.9% YoY +70% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,787
US avg $1,175
↓1.8% YoY +52% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,222
US avg $1,525
↓1.5% YoY +46% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,562
US avg $1,756
↓3.4% YoY +46% vs US

How Charleston-North Charleston compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other SC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Charleston-North Charleston highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Charleston-North Charleston: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Charleston-North Charleston with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside SC (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside SC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
FL · 2 BR $1,785/mo
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville
IL · 2 BR $1,781/mo
Bellingham
WA · 2 BR $1,794/mo
Martin County
TX · 2 BR $1,772/mo

Burden % · outside SC

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
AZ · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $1,839/mo
Oakland-Fremont
CA · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $2,912/mo
Vallejo
CA · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $2,178/mo
Watertown-Fort Drum
NY · 25.9% of income · 2 BR $1,405/mo

Charleston-North Charleston: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA is $1,630 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,787 and a studio is $1,557.
How does Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA metro area is 70% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,630 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Charleston-North Charleston rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,787 ranks #62 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Charleston-North Charleston metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 16700, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,787–$1,787 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Charleston-North Charleston's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 7.7% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 10.3%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

Compare Charleston-North Charleston vs Anderson →

What this means for renters

Treat Charleston-North Charleston's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $1,630 implies about $65,200/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Charleston-North Charleston stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Anderson
  • See where Charleston-North Charleston ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 3 counties; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,630/mo · 1BR SC

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.