This is Curbed Comparisons, a regular column exploring what you can rent for a set dollar amount in different neighborhoods. And seeing as how this is Micro Week, today we examine different rentals at a particular, decidedly conservative square footage count. Is one person's studio another person's, well, slightly larger studio? Let's find out. Our dimensions today: 450-500 square feet.
↑ As the frequent favorite in the voting, we'll let the Castro have its say first. (Even though this is actually closer to what you would call Dolores Heights.) This little studio right at Castro and 21st Street is 455 feet all the way around, and the offer is $2,395/month. Not only is that not the most expensive of our San Francisco micro units, it's actually the most inexpensive. Which makes the locale overlooking Castro (in an unidentified Victorian) particularly attractive. All the wood trim is nice, although the anti-pet policy less so. Note that the place comes furnished.
↑ Speaking of Victorians, here's one right near Alamo Square, just around the geographic center of NoPa. In fact, it might be the biggest and most unmissable Vic in the entire neighborhood, sprawling an un-San Francisco like 8,000 square feet. Of course, this is Micro Week, so what's on offer here is only a 450 foot apartment inside the giant circa 1900 building. The price? $2,550/month. You do get to keep your cats and dogs for the price, though, as well as live in a building that could probably serve as San Francisco's own wizarding school.
↑ Ritzy hilltop San Francisco neighborhoods tend to have a predilection for small apartments, and Russian Hill is no except. Although this "garden apartment" is the largest of our five, filling out the full 500 feet. In fact, said garden is itself 400 feet, making this arguably a garden with an apartment attached. It'll be $2,695/month for the both of them. Unfortunately, the garden means no pets again.
↑ Over at the SoMa Residents building (1045 Mission, between 6th and 7th, erected in 1998 and now starting to look like one of the elder statesman of multi-family building in the neighborhood), the smallest one bedroom place weighs in at just 453 feet, and hits your bank account for $2,707/month on the dot. Like newer buildings, this one likes to tout green credentials, tagging Recology along the way. No mention of pets, though. Micro-living is tough on animal lovers these days.
↑ Finally, the big enchilada, at least in terms of price (the unit itself is, like all of the above, a rather small enchilada, possibly only half of one at 488 feet). How do you end up paying $3,595/month (the second most expensive rental listed in the entire city at this square footage) for such a dainty home? Well, living right at the corner of Alamo Square on Hayes and Steiner probably has a lot to do with it. And the circa 1926 house is still as classy as ever after 90 years. You're allowed up to two cats and two dogs as well (mix and match presumably allowed). So is it worth it? Vote and let us know.