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Curbed Comparisons: What $1,800/Month Rents You in San Francisco

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Five rentals for 50 percent of the city's median average rent price. Which one is the best deal?

This is Curbed Comparisons, a regular column exploring what you can rent for a set dollar amount in different neighborhoods. Is one person's studio another person's townhouse? Let's find out. Today's price: $1,800, just a little bit more than half of the median rental price in the city these days.

↑ The ad for this studio in the Tenderloin encourages you to "try a little Tenderness," which we have to admit is a pretty good line. For $1,695/month, there's barely enough room in this unit for the ad photog to photograph, but it's not the tiniest place we've seen on Comparisons. And it at least looks in respectable shape, with wood floors, teal walls, and old school tub in the bathroom. Dogs and pets under 40 pounds are both allowed.

↑ A competing studio in the Mission offers similar digs for $1,800/month, but prides itself on the wood trim throughout the unit, which, along with the finish on the doors, is indeed quite handsome. The building dates to 1923 and, according to city records, is in the midst of a soft-story upgrade. No offense to the trim, but the location at Capp and 23rd Street, close to the main Mission drag, is probably the big selling point here. No word on pets.

↑ This studio in Lower Pac Heights, right on the edge of Japantown and across the street from the Queen Anne Hotel, runs 400 square feet for $1,700/month, and kudos to whoever decided to put that couch at the foot of the bed when setting up the staging (you're a true innovator). Though the proportions are itty bitty, the kitchenette is of a decent size, and they fit some built-ins into the entryway, and of course it's a rather pretty neighborhood. The prohibition on pets is a little less fetching, though.

↑ The building at 620 Jones Street that houses this next $1,800/month studio in Lower Nob Hill is a real knockout with its Beaux-Arts entryway and lobby, home to the trendy Jones restaurant and bar. The neighborhood is right on the edge of the Tenderloin, immediately across the street from the Curran Theatre and three blocks from Union Square. (It also advertises itself as close to Academy of Art University, but what isn't?) The unit itself comes furnished and is relatively tasteful, although the setup is a bit hotel-like, particularly the no pets rule.

↑ Finally, if you yearn for an actual bedroom at $1,680/month, there's always this in-law in the Sunset, located in a garden near Taraval Street. Though by no means a sizable venture it at least gives you room to stretch your legs, relative to all of these studios, and of all of the offerings it's the only one with a truly residential vibe. No pets allowed here either; at least the Tenderloin loves San Francisco's cats.