Columbia, SC — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·South Carolina·Columbia

Richland County · Columbia · population 144,788

First-time buyers
Columbia, SC
Image: Wikipedia · Columbia, South Carolina
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Columbia stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $229,993
1-year +1.4%
5-yr CAGR +6.7%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +1.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$230k$111k$154k$197k$239k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
85/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,458/mo$993$1,273$1,553202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent139138100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.1
Buy

At a 13.1 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Columbia on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.1 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
57 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
73 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
72 · w16%
Rent YoY
55 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
73 · w10%
Long thesis

Columbia has held up across the cycle: home values at $229,993 with +6.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Columbia's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Columbia

Columbia is a city in Richland County, South Carolina, with an estimated population of 144,788. The population grew 1.5% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Columbia is $229,993 as of 2026-04, up 1.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.7% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Columbia average $1,458 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.5%). The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.7% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.5% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Columbia (Wikipedia)

Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census. The Columbia metropolitan area has an estimated 870,000 residents. Columbia serves as the county seat of Richland County, and portions of the city extend into neighboring Lexington County and Kershaw County. The name "Columbia", a poetic term referring to the U.S., derives from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored the Caribbean on behalf of the Spanish Empire. The name of the city is often abbreviated as "Cola", leading to its nickname "Soda City".

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorDaniel Rickenmann unit_pref = Imperial
Area140.68 sq mi
Elevation276 postal_code_type = ZIP code(s) ft
Chartered (City)1786
Mottoforce singular "" (Latin) (Justice, the Queen of Virtues) "We Are Columbia"
Density991.45/sq mi
Named forColumbia
Time zoneEST

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Richland County right now.

NWS active alerts (SC)South Carolina Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Richland County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Columbia

74 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Historic Heathwood$1,527,789+14.7%
2Lake Katherine$1,024,423+15.9%
3Kings Grant$933,422+3.0%
4Gregg Park$912,579+11.4%
5Hampton Ridge$800,113+16.0%
6Forest Hills$676,386+8.2%
7Heathwood West$671,324+4.1%
8Hampton's Grant$635,659+5.5%
9Wheeler Hill$596,851+5.5%
10Wales Garden$583,502+12.4%
11Cross Hill$508,994+9.0%
12Hampton Leas$507,678+10.6%
13Kilbourne Park$490,128+0.8%
14Historic Trenholm-Buchanan$478,325+3.1%
15Shandon$473,886+7.6%
16Hollywood – Rosehill$436,532+6.5%
17Arcadia Lakes$412,009+4.9%
18Melrose Heights$409,382+10.4%
19Meadowfield$386,243+9.1%
20St. Marks Wood$360,035+1.5%
21Elmwood Park$357,517+4.1%
22Cottontown – Bellevue$354,213-1.6%
23Sherwood Forest$354,087+6.1%
24University Hill$343,172+13.1%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Columbia

Greenville, SC69 · RisingSpartanburg, SC69 · RisingCharleston, SC71 · RisingAnderson, SC76 · Rising

Run the numbers for Columbia

ToolCan I afford Columbia?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Columbia rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Columbia to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolColumbia cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
57° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 71°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
220
~60% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
2″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Columbia listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Columbia area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
73%
Humid climate
Median household income
$63,600
South Carolina state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)TourismHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Columbia

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