Our pals at rental website Zumper have combed through their rental data in five San Francisco neighborhoods to suss out the "cold pockets"—block-by-block areas where the median asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment is not just lower, but significantly lower than the same figure for the neighborhood as a whole. The thing about median rent is that it conceals the prices around the edges, and the edges can be where the bargains are. Or, if not bargains, then at least willful sacrifices that can be made in exchange for lower rent. Above is the Inner Richmond, where the median asking rent for a one-bedroom in May was $3,000. Focusing on the few blocks between Seventh and Tenth streets, and Geary and Balboa, could save you as much as $500/month, according to data pulled from Zumper's listings.
↑ Nob Hill's cold pocket straddles the border between Nob and Russian hills, $2,800 vs. $3,125 (or $3,730 in Russian Hill).
↑ The hottest cold pocket of the group can be found in Pacific Heights, where the differential is $505 ($3,195 vs. $3,700). It's in the southern part of the neighborhood, closer to the not-as-tony Lower Pac Heights.
↑ SoMa's cold pocket ($3,200 vs. $3,700) isn't that much of a secret. It's right between Fifth and Sixth streets, exactly where we were expecting to find it.
↑ Haight-Ashbury's cold pocket ($2,650 vs. $2,800) is holding it down right below the panhandle. The price difference isn't as great as the other 'hoods here, but at least the $2,650 you'd shell out in rent is the second lowest of the bunch.
· Zumper [Official Site]
· SF's Median Asking Rent for One-Bedrooms Hit $3,500 in May [Curbed SF]