Investor market data · South Carolina

Columbia, SC Rental Market for Investors

An estimated 90% of Columbia's active listings could cash-flow as a short-term rental — here's what the numbers say for investors, as of October 2026.

See what pencils →Run a DSCR

$269,000Median list price1,167 active listings

$45,054Median STR revenue / yrprojected, gross

Homes in Columbia that pencil right now

A sample of active Columbia listings whose DSCR clears 1.25 using short-term rental income projections we accept as a direct lender. These are spread across the price range, not ranked, and current as of October 2026.

$189,900DSCR 1.49
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,982 sqft
House in 29210 · built 1963
STR revenue
$31,301/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,400/mo
On the market 163 days · Listed by Trelora Realty Inc
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbia
$209,000DSCR 1.71
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,816 sqft
House in 29210 · built 1963
STR revenue
$30,830/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,199/mo
On the market 94 days · Listed by CENTURY 21 Vanguard
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbia
$220,000DSCR 2.32
2 bed · 2.5 bath · 1,248 sqft
Townhouse in 29212 · built 2007
STR revenue
$46,326/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,331/mo
On the market 79 days · Listed by RE/MAX Summit LLC
Scout this home & market: 2-bed townhouse in Columbia
$234,000DSCR 2.16
3 bed · 1.5 bath · 1,138 sqft
House in 29205 · built 1960
STR revenue
$42,378/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,309/mo
On the market 24 days · Listed by Wolfe and Taylor Inc
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbia
$370,000DSCR 1.95
5 bed · 3.5 bath · 3,205 sqft
House in 29212 · built 1996
STR revenue
$62,803/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$2,146/mo
On the market 147 days · Listed by EXP Realty LLC
Scout this home & market: 5-bed house in Columbia

Ask about Columbia deals →Run any address yourself

As of October 2026, we analyzed 1,167 active for-sale homes in Columbia, South Carolina. The typical listing is priced at $269,000 and is projected to generate about $45,054 a year as a short-term rental.

After setting aside an estimated 20% for operating costs, an estimated 90.4% of those homes could still cover an investor mortgage payment on short-term-rental income — well above the 53.1% median across the 200 major metros we track, ranking Columbia #1 of 200 for cash-flow potential.

On market momentum: homes in Columbia sit a median of 51 days on the market, and 31% of active listings came on in just the last 30 days — a steadily paced market, which shapes how much room there is to negotiate.

For a DSCR loan — which qualifies on the property's rental income rather than your personal income — that's a relatively healthy setup: in Columbia, a meaningful share of listings throw off enough short-term-rental income, after costs, to cover an estimated investor mortgage payment.

What actually works in Columbia

Columbia is a broad cash-flow market right now: 836 of the 1,042 Columbia homes, condos and townhomes we can price confidently clear a DSCR of 1.25. Nine in ten of them are priced under $350,000.

Share of those listings clearing an DSCR of 1.25, by price and bedroom count. The smaller figure is the median DSCR for that group.
Price	2 bed	3 bed	4 bed	5 bed
Under $150k	—	100%2.65	—	—
$150k–$250k	93%1.70	100%2.03	100%2.28	—
$250k–$350k	36%1.21	85%1.53	96%1.73	100%2.19
$350k–$500k	0%0.74	44%1.22	51%1.25	93%1.51
$500k+	—	0%0.86	2%0.92	26%1.05

Darker means a larger share of that group cash-flows. “—” means fewer than 8 active listings — too few to draw a conclusion from.

Columbia in full

Active for-sale homes analyzed	1,167
Median list price	$269,000
Median projected STR revenue (annual, gross)	$45,054
Median average daily rate (ADR)	$193
Median occupancy	64%
Median beds	3
Median size	1,764 sqft
Estimated cash-flow-positive share	90.4%
Median days on market	51 days
New listings (last 30 days)	31.2% of active