Rents are 12% below what Columbia's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,584 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Columbia usually run 1.1% below trend in January and 1.3% above it in July, about $38 a month apart at today's median. Based on 7 years of data.
Rent in Columbia is 0.9% below its high of $1,598 in February 2026, at $1,584 as of September 2026.
Rent in Columbia changed +2.7% over the year to September 2026. Across the 51 Tennessee cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.0%.
Rent in Columbia is 37.5% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 4 months in a row, and rose in 9 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($63,719) is $1,593 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,460); a 3-bedroom is $1,840.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Columbia. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Columbia, TN is majority owner-occupied, has a large share of families with children, has a median income below the national average, 25.4% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Columbia, TN has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Columbia, TN has increased by $354 per month, settling near $1,584 after starting the period at $1,230. Median household income grew from $50,892 to $63,719 between 2021 and 2024, a 25.2% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 3.6 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 40,957 to 45,441 between 2021 and 2024, a 10.9% change. About 36.7% of households rent today, against 39.3% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 20.8% to 25.4%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Columbia, TN reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Can you afford rent in Columbia on your salary?
At $1,584/mo, how Columbia rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Columbia rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Columbia. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Columbia
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Columbia is $1,584/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,270/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,460/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,300/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,840/mo.
At 30% of local median household income ($63,719/yr), Columbia ranks as moderate compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 2.7% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Columbia rent compare to other cities in Tennessee?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Columbia?
At $1,584/mo, rent takes ~30% of Columbia's median household income ($63,719/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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