Most of Columbus is in Muscogee County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $34.30 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 12 ZIP codes in Columbus with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $850 to $1,400 a month. At the middle rent, $1,060, a full-time job would need to pay $33.14 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31901 | Muscogee County | $910/mo | $28.16/hr |
| 31902 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
| 31903 | Muscogee County | $850/mo | $26.17/hr |
| 31904 | Muscogee County | $1,110/mo | $34.85/hr |
| 31906 | Muscogee County | $900/mo | $27.83/hr |
| 31907 | Muscogee County | $1,160/mo | $36.74/hr |
| 31908 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
| 31909 | Muscogee County | $1,400/mo | $45.92/hr |
| 31914 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
| 31917 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
| 31998 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
| 31999 | Muscogee County | $1,060/mo | $33.14/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Columbus needs to pay at least $34.30 an hour before taxes, about $71,348 a year. That is the figure for Muscogee County, where the typical studio rent is $1,095 a month.
Yes. Across the 12 ZIP codes in Columbus with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $850 to $1,400 a month. At the middle rent of $1,060, the pay needed would be $33.14 an hour.
The minimum wage in Muscogee County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.7 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads