HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Charleston County, South Carolina (FY 2027)
A two-bedroom in Charleston County carries a FY 2027 Fair Market Rent of $1,884 a month, effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Everything Section 8 pays in Charleston keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,884
+5.4% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,696–$2,072
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$75,360
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
3rd of 46
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,661 | $1,495–$1,827 | $66,440 | $31.94/hr | +6.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,731 | $1,558–$1,904 | $69,240 | $33.29/hr | +6.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,884 | $1,696–$2,072 | $75,360 | $36.23/hr | +5.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,336 | $2,102–$2,570 | $93,440 | $44.92/hr | +5.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,687 | $2,418–$2,956 | $107,480 | $51.67/hr | +4.9% |
Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $3,090 | $2,781–$3,399 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,493 | $3,144–$3,842 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,896 | $3,506–$4,286 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,299 | $3,869–$4,729 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Charleston are asking $2,325. HUD says $1,884.
That's 23% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 12 Charleston ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
No card needed
What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Charleston somewhere between $1,696 and $2,072. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$1,884 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $75,360 a year. Put another way, $36 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$1,696 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,884 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,072 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $946 | $1,134 | $1,322 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $496 | $684 | $872 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2026 ($1,787) to FY 2027 ($1,884). Since FY 2020 it's up 60% in total, about 6.9% a year. The South Carolina median moved up 2% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $907 | $1,035 | $1,179 | $1,535 | $2,012 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,000 | $1,059 | $1,207 | $1,544 | $2,010 | +2.4% |
| FY 2022 | $1,183 | $1,204 | $1,372 | $1,721 | $2,206 | +13.7% |
| FY 2023 | $1,328 | $1,357 | $1,533 | $1,906 | $2,397 | +11.7% |
| FY 2024 | $1,386 | $1,424 | $1,599 | $1,979 | $2,402 | +4.3% |
| FY 2025 | $1,583 | $1,644 | $1,820 | $2,255 | $2,653 | +13.8% |
| FY 2026 | $1,557 | $1,630 | $1,787 | $2,222 | $2,562 | -1.8% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,661 | $1,731 | $1,884 | $2,336 | $2,687 | +5.4% |
About this rate
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Charleston, that runs from $1,661 for a studio up to $2,687 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Charleston in with 2 other counties in the Charleston-North Charleston metro, Berkeley County, Dorchester County among them, and every one of them gets $1,884 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among South Carolina's 46 counties, Charleston ranks 3rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 72% above the state median of $1,098 and about 77% above the national median county at $1,063. About 420,264 people live here, 3rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,220 in 29470 (Ravenel) and $2,830 in 29429 (Awendaw), with the 34 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29401 | Charleston | $2,400 | +27.4% |
| 29402 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29403 | Charleston | $2,190 | +16.2% |
| 29404 | Charleston Afb | $2,260 | +20.0% |
| 29405 | North Charleston | $1,580 | -16.1% |
| 29406 | Charleston | $1,750 | -7.1% |
| 29407 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29409 | Charleston | $2,190 | +16.2% |
| 29412 | Charleston | $2,190 | +16.2% |
| 29413 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29414 | Charleston | $2,150 | +14.1% |
| 29415 | North Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29416 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29417 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29418 | North Charleston | $1,620 | -14.0% |
| 29419 | North Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29422 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29423 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29424 | Charleston | $2,320 | +23.1% |
| 29425 | Charleston | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29426 | Adams Run | $1,680 | -10.8% |
| 29429 | Awendaw | $2,830 | +50.2% |
| 29439 | Folly Beach | $2,500 | +32.7% |
| 29449 | Hollywood | $1,520 | -19.3% |
| 29451 | Isle Of Palms | $2,830 | +50.2% |
| 29455 | Johns Island | $1,860 | -1.3% |
| 29457 | Johns Island | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29458 | Mc Clellanville | $1,920 | +1.9% |
| 29464 | Mount Pleasant | $2,430 | +29.0% |
| 29465 | Mount Pleasant | $1,910 | +1.4% |
| 29466 | Mount Pleasant | $2,770 | +47.0% |
| 29470 | Ravenel | $1,220 | -35.2% |
| 29482 | Sullivans Island | $2,460 | +30.6% |
| 29487 | Wadmalaw Island | $1,670 | -11.4% |
Counties sharing the Charleston-North Charleston metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,884 two-bedroom figure as Charleston.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Charleston.
Berkeley County
24 mi · 246,802 people
$1,884
same rate
Dorchester County
30 mi · 167,201 people
$1,884
same rate
Colleton County
41 mi · 38,783 people
$913
-52%
Beaufort County
54 mi · 195,289 people
$2,010
+7%
Williamsburg County
58 mi · 30,282 people
$885
-53%
Georgetown County
60 mi · 64,811 people
$1,158
-39%
Clarendon County
65 mi · 30,986 people
$885
-53%
Orangeburg County
65 mi · 83,253 people
$906
-52%
Questions people ask
$1,884 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,661 for a studio, $1,731 for one bedroom, $2,336 for three and $2,687 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords
Rent affordability calculator
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in Charleston actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Charleston for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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