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: $1,600.
↑ Pickings can get pretty slim when you're trying to rent for $1,600 or less in San Francisco—and more often than not, there's usually a catch—but this in-law unit in the Richmond for $1,490/month is as straightforward an offer as you're going to find. It's a small place on 17th and Anza, pretty kitchen, free internet, no pets allowed. The property is one block from Argonne Playground and two blocks from Argonne Gardens.
↑ When you want to rent cheap (relatively speaking), people tend to turn toward the Tenderloin, where, for example, this studio goes for $1,495/month.The building on Ellis and Taylor dates to 1910 and the landlord covers the gas bill, but there are no pets allowed. And like a lot of Tenderloin residential buildings, there have been complaints about the building from time to time. Well, at least it looks relatively roomy. Also notable: the softwood floors were recently refinished.
↑ Next up is a pretty efficiency room in Cole Valley, right down the street from Kezar Stadium asking $1,600/month. The catch? No kitchen, not even of the kitchenette variety. The Carl Hotel is a legitimately historic building, dating to at least 1896, and it seems comfy enough, and appealingly close to Haight Street. If you're willing to commit to a lifetime of eating out, that is.
↑This studio in the Mission (near the freeway, around 14th and Folsom, making it the mouth of the Mission from the north side) rents for $1,595/month. Mercifully, it has a kitchen. But it does come with a catch—no in-unit bathroom. You have to share an SRO-style one in the shared hall. We do try to find the best places for a certain price on Comparisons, but sometimes the best has its limitations. The rent covers the utilities here.
↑ Finally, if you're tired of studios or efficiencies sans amenities, here's a genuine one-bedroom apartment in the Bayview with everything included for $1,600/month. It's also on the same block as Bret Harte Elementary School. The catch this time: Well, we're not going to lie, those are some bleak photos. But rents are still nuts. And everybody needs a roof over their head.