Welcome back to Curbed Comparisons, where we scour San Francisco's rental listings to see what your monthly budget will get you across the city. This week, we're investigating apartments listed for $2,200/month. Zumper's updated map of average rental prices indicates that you should be able to rent a one bedroom in The City's traditionally undervalued neighborhoods, such as the Inner & Outer Richmond, the Inner & Outer Sunset, and Downtown (meaning: the Tenderloin), for this amount or less. What do your choices actually look like? (They mostly look like studios.) You tell us which rental looks like the most bang for your buck.
? Lower Nob Hill is our first stop, where this New York-style studio is going for $2,200/month. While small, the unit is updated and efficient. The kitchen is decked out with swanky new stainless appliances, and there's a storage nook with wall to wall shelving in the entry way, which could serve as an "optional library." The location boasts proximity to the California Street cable car and Polk Street's restaurant and shopping scene. Free laundry in the building tops off the listing.
? Next up is Pacific Heights, where this charming studio is going for $2,175/month. The location is more desirable than the Pac Heights label may suggest -- it's on a relatively flat block and is about equidistant from Cow Hollow's Union Street and Russian Hill's Polk Street. The living area has corner exposures with trees out the windows and hardwood, and the bathroom has retro flair. The kitchen looks tight, but at least it's got its own space within the unit.
? Next we head to the Lower Haight, where this studio is under-budget at $2,095/month. The square footage of the living space looks about the same as the other two studios, except that here the kitchen opens onto the living area, galley-style. Counter space is almost nil, but the unit's third floor location will probably be so noisy -- given the restaurant downstairs -- that you wouldn't spend too many evenings cooking dinner at home anyway. Cats are allowed for an additional $50/month in "pet rent."
? Potrero Hill is next, where this "luxury" studio is also under budget at $2,100/month. While "luxury" may be a bit of a stretch, the unit does boast a nice-sized deck with sweeping city views. The kitchen is spacious enough to fit a small dining table and is finished with high-end appliances appliances - though the listing is really pushing it with the term "chef's kitchen." There's a working fireplace and free laundry in the building, and small pets are negotiable with an extra deposit.