Columbia, South Carolina
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Columbia.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Columbia compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 137,300City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $48,200Incorporated place (ACS)39% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 90ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)10% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $220,000City limits (ACS)27% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,100City limits (ACS)18% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.5%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 22 min12% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3033% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 62launch estimate, not FBI-verified yet
- Property crime rate
- 68launch estimate, not FBI-verified yet
- Summer high
- 92°F5.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 34°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 48 in46% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 22017% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Columbia with another city
Columbia, South Carolina counts about 137,300 residents inside the city limits. Households here report a median income near $48,200; our housing-derived cost index is about 90 (below the national housing-cost baseline). Entry home prices around $220,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Lowcountry humidity and inland Piedmont growth corridors both pull movers. Pack for 92°F summer peaks; winter mornings often settle near 34°F. Commutes average near 22 minutes one-way, with walkability near 30/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.5% for the surrounding county. This city hasn't had its FBI crime data refreshed yet, so the safety figure is a placeholder estimate — verify current numbers before treating it as authoritative.
Columbia is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Columbia with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau / American Community Survey (curated seed)
- BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics (curated seed)
- Crime: FBI Crime Data Explorer (curated seed)
- Climate: NOAA Climate Normals (curated seed)
Last updated 2026-07-28
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