Between the steadily growing BullStreet District, new apartments proposed on Huger Street and at least two new projects, including luxury apartments, proposed on North Main Street, Columbians hoping to live downtown are getting more choices each year.
But even with a growing bank of options, living downtown can still be expensive, with many downtown Columbia apartments listed among the most expensive in the city.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the places where Columbia renters are shelling out the most to live. Online apartment listings and their prices often change, this list reflects the most expensive apartments as of March 25, 2024.
1. The Cardinal Apartments in Forest Acres, with rents from $1,517 for a one-bedroom unit to $4,337 for three bedrooms, are some of the most expensive current listings in the Columbia area, according to Apartments.com.
The Cardinal Apartments opened in 2020 as part of the largest mixed-use development in Forest Acres history. The project was built on the former site of Cardinal Newman School and includes a major retail hub on Forest Drive that hosts Lowes Foods, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and other stores and restaurants.
The project was built by Charleston-based The Beach Company, which also built the Canalside Lofts on Huger Street.
2. The Lady on Lady Street in downtown Columbia, with rents from $1,299 for a studio unit to $4,375 for three bedrooms, according to Apartments.com.
The Lady opened in 2021 as a major historic renovation downtown. It joined three Columbia buildings, including the historic Keenan Building that was built in 1921, and grouped them into one 109-unit luxury apartment complex. The apartments have a 10-story section, a six-story section and a three-story section, exposing that the project was once three separate properties.
The project was built by Styx Companies, which also redeveloped Columbia’s Claussen’s building in Five Points into apartments.
3. The Palms Apartments, also on Lady Street in downtown Columbia, with rents from $1,234 for a one-bedroom unit to $4,501 for two bedrooms, according to Apartments.com.
The Palms, built by The Arnold Companies, is at the site of another one-time Columbia landmark that’s since given way to luxury apartments. The project opened last year at the site of Columbia’s former Moe Levy’s Army Store, which had been open since 1920.
The Palms’ 83 units range in size from 458 square feet to 1,158.
4. The Canalside Lofts at the end of Taylor Street, with rents from $1,293 for a studio to $3,804 for three bedrooms, according to Apartments.com.
South Carolina’s most dangerous criminals once stayed where the Canalside Lofts now sit. The site was once home to a state prison that hosted death-row inmates. The city of Columbia, along with developer The Beach Company, helped see the site redeveloped into some of the city’s premier apartments. The entire project started in the late 1990s and ended in 2018.
The Canalside site also hosts the Sola Station apartments, as well as the new Bierkeller Brewery.
5. Vista Commons Apartments on Pulaski Street, with rents from $1,780 for one bedroom to $2,327 for two bedrooms, according to Apartments.com.
The Vista Commons luxury apartments are the oldest apartments on this list. The project, which was under construction in 2000, was predicted to be the largest residential development in the Vista at the time. Entertainment, arts and shopping had blossomed in the Vista, but housing hadn’t yet caught up.
The project was built by Steve Middleton of Commonwealth Properties, who is also behind the current proposed redevelopment of the Jim Moore Cadillac site on North Main Street.
