Your monthly guide to rental conditions in Charleston Metro. This is our October 2026 report, covering September 2026 rental data: what rents looked like last month, what's driving the market, and what it means if you own a rental home.
Charleston Metro Rental Market Snapshot — September 2026
Here's where Charleston Metro rents landed in September 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.
The Charleston Metro median rent hit $2,153 in September 2026, up 5.39% year-over-year, while homes leased in just 14 days on average. Monthly movement was essentially flat (-0.13%), so annual growth is doing the heavy lifting here — a signal that long-term demand remains strong even as seasonal momentum fades heading into fall.
| Metric | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Rent (All Types, Charleston Metro) | $2,153 | +5.4% YoY |
| Avg. Days on Market | 14 days | — |
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, September 2026.
What's Driving Charleston Metro Rental Market Conditions Right Now
Charleston Metro Rental Supply and New Construction
The supply wave that flooded the Charleston metro in 2024 is receding fast. Over 5,550 multifamily units hit the market that year, but units under construction fell 43% by year-end 2024, new starts dropped 72%, and completions went on to fall 73% in 2025. The bulk of that new supply landed in the I-26 corridor between Summerville and North Charleston, where master-planned communities and mixed-use projects concentrated, along with the downtown peninsula where 277 units recently completed near the upper peninsula's mixed-use nodes; as that pipeline thins, landlords outside those corridors face almost no new competition.
Why People Rent in Charleston Metro
Renting in the Charleston metro makes financial sense for a lot of households right now: comfortable homeownership requires $111,283 in annual income versus $77,132 to rent comfortably, and with 30-year mortgage rates sitting at 7.28%, creditworthy renters are staying put rather than buying. That gap keeps demand anchored across submarkets, from families in the Nexton community near I-26 and the Park Circle corridor in North Charleston (where proximity to Joint Base Charleston, Boeing, and the Port of Charleston drives steady tenant flow), to professionals and healthcare workers clustering near MUSC and the College of Charleston on the peninsula. Inbound migration from Charlotte, Washington D.C., and New York adds another layer of demand, with 65% of Charleston homebuyers in early 2026 choosing to stay within the metro rather than leave.
What This Means for Charleston Metro Landlords
October puts you squarely in the post-peak window: the spring and summer leasing surge has passed, coastal inventory is shifting back from short-term rentals into the long-term pool, and tenants know they have more options. Price your vacancy to move now rather than hold out for a top-of-market number, because a longer vacancy through the slower fall and winter months will cost more than a modest rent concession today. The medium-term picture is favorable: with the supply pipeline thinning sharply and rents up 5.39% year-over-year, landlords who lock in a good tenant this fall are well-positioned heading into 2027.
Charleston Metro Rent by City — September 2026
Mount Pleasant leads the Charleston metro in leasing speed at just 11 days on market, with Summerville and North Charleston close behind at 12 and 13 days respectively. Charleston proper is the softest spot in the table, taking 18 days to lease, nearly a week slower than the suburban leaders. Four of the five cities leased in 13 days or under in September, making Charleston the clear outlier in an otherwise fast-moving metro.
| City | Median Rent | 2BR Median | 3BR Median | Avg. DOM | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston, SC | $2,548 | $2,932 | $3,452 | 18 days | +1.4% |
| North Charleston, SC | $1,702 | $1,613 | $1,996 | 13 days | +3.0% |
| Mount Pleasant, SC | $2,441 | $2,450 | $3,373 | 11 days | +13.0% |
| Summerville, SC | $1,783 | $1,864 | $2,164 | 12 days | +6.3% |
| Goose Creek, SC | $1,843 | $1,625 | $2,050 | 13 days | +8.3% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, September 2026. Median Rent is across all property types. |
-
Charleston, SC: The peninsula draws long-term renters anchored to MUSC and the College of Charleston, with walkable corridors like Cannonborough-Elliotborough and Wagener Terrace absorbing demand quickly. At $2,548 median rent and 18 days on market in September, Charleston proper is leasing at a measured pace relative to the broader metro, and the -0.3% month-over-month dip is essentially flat, while the +1.4% year-over-year gain confirms rents are holding steady.
-
North Charleston, SC: Demand here runs deep, fed by proximity to Joint Base Charleston, Boeing South Carolina, and the Port of Charleston, with Park Circle drawing renters who want walkability at a price point well below the peninsula. At $1,702 median rent and 13 days on market in September, North Charleston leased fast, and the +0.7% month-over-month and +3.0% year-over-year gains show rents building consistent upward momentum.
-
Mount Pleasant, SC: At $2,441 median rent and just 11 days on market in September, Mount Pleasant was the fastest-leasing city in the group, signaling tight supply relative to demand. The +13.0% year-over-year jump is the most aggressive rent growth in the metro, and even with a modest -0.9% month-over-month softening, the annual trajectory puts this submarket well ahead of the pack.
-
Summerville, SC: Anchored by the Nexton master-planned community off I-26, Summerville attracts families and I-26 corridor commuters who want walkable amenities and good schools without peninsula price tags. At $1,783 median rent and 12 days on market in September, Summerville leased quickly, and the +6.3% year-over-year gain reflects sustained renter demand that has pushed rents meaningfully higher over the past year, with the +0.1% month-over-month reading showing prices have essentially leveled off near a new baseline.
-
Goose Creek, SC: At $1,843 median rent and 13 days on market in September, Goose Creek leased at a solid clip, and the +8.3% year-over-year increase is the second-strongest annual rent growth in the metro. The -0.3% month-over-month figure is negligible, so the bigger story here is the strong annual trajectory pointing to durable demand in this workforce-friendly submarket.
Charleston Metro Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — September 2026
Rent by Bedroom Count in Charleston Metro
Rents across the Charleston metro climbed steadily with each bedroom added, but the increases were far from uniform. The jump from a 1-bedroom to a 2-bedroom rental was $342, then the gap widened to $510 moving from 2- to 3-bedrooms, and widened again to $918 from 3- to 4-bedrooms, putting the median for 4-bedroom rentals at $3,525. One quirk worth noting: studio rentals ($1,809) actually priced above 1-bedrooms ($1,755), a $54 inversion that likely reflects the smaller footprint of studios concentrated in higher-cost urban locations. From the bottom of the range to the top, the spread between a 1-bedroom and a 4-bedroom rental ran $1,770.
| Bedroom Count in Charleston Metro | Median Rent (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,809 |
| 1-Bedroom | $1,755 |
| 2-Bedroom | $2,097 |
| 3-Bedroom | $2,607 |
| 4-Bedroom | $3,525 |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Charleston Metro, September 2026. |
Rent by Property Type in Charleston Metro
Single-family homes commanded the largest premium in the Charleston Metro in September 2026, with a median rent of $3,090, which was $937 (43.5%) above the blended metro median of $2,153. Apartments sat at the opposite end of the pricing spectrum at $2,040, just $113 below the blended median, but they moved fastest by a wide margin at only 8 days on market. Townhouses landed in the middle on price at $2,456, yet they took the longest to lease at 46 days, nearly six times the apartment pace. Condos tracked close to apartments on both rent ($2,015) and speed (26 days), leaving single-family as the clear outlier on price and townhouses as the outlier on leasing time.
| Property Type in Charleston Metro | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Property Types (Blended) | $2,153 | 14 days | +5.4% |
| Single Family | $3,090 | 30 days | +17.4% |
| Condo | $2,015 | 26 days | +5.3% |
| Townhouse | $2,456 | 46 days | +1.3% |
| Apartment | $2,040 | 8 days | +6.0% |
| Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, Charleston Metro, September 2026. |
Data Sources & Methodology
- Rental market data: Median rents, days on market, listing counts, and rent change figures. Sourced from county public records, deed and tax assessor data, and rental listings on publicly accessible platforms.
- Doorstead Platform Data: Internal leasing outcomes from Doorstead-managed rental homes across all property types, including days to lease. Trailing 12 months.
Data refreshed monthly. Doorstead benchmarks reflect managed properties only and may not be representative of the broader Charleston Metro rental market.