What $2,100 rents you in Oakland right now

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a regular column exploring what you can rent for a set dollar amount in different neighborhoods. This week we head to Oakland to find out if one person's studio another person's townhouse. Today's price: $2,100.

↑ While this Edwardian-style fourplex on Piedmont Avenue just south of Mountain View Cemetery is not technically part of Piedmont itself, it’s pretty close to the line for $2,000 (all utilities included). In this case the offer is for the 800-square-foot top floor studio, a somewhat ungainly addition to an otherwise beautiful building near Echo Avenue. But maybe location and the addition of a pet-friendly landlord will beat out the low ceilings and oddball angles for a renter eager to move on up.

↑ Speaking of finding a foothold in a classy neighborhood, out in Montclair on Saroni Drive this one-bed, one-bath in-law comes on offer for $1,995/month. In-laws in the city tend to be strange affairs. And while this one looks as out of place as any, the addition of multiple pairs of French doors is a nice touch. There’s even a “small private patio, ideal for a meditation space.” The Huckleberry Regional Reserve is just a few blocks away, if the patio proves inadequate for achieving oneness with all things. No pets allowed.

↑ The sales pitch for this Victorian on 63rd and Marshall in NOBE (which is realtor-speak for the North Oakland/Berkeley/Emeryville area) is “completely renovated and restored landmark 1896 Victorian, everything new.” Well, new as of 2013 anyway, which is a pretty good margin relative to 1896. The one-bed, one-bath, roughly 650-square-foot apartment on offer here for $2,100/month is one of three in the building. Notice that the old claw-foot tub has been declawed at some point over the years. Speaking of which, pets are on the outs here too.

↑ Two blocks north of the Rockridge BART station comes a cottage-style place with a downright rustic facade but a decidedly San Francisco-style interior. That means that the little studio is reasonable but also small at 360 square feet for $2,000/month (which includes utilities as well). “Lots of recycled old growth redwood, cork floors, etc,” says the ad, which recommends a pied-a-terre arrangement for the place. No mention of pets one way or the other.

↑ This Rockridge place promoted itself as a garden apartment but with only a little garden and a whole lot of bricks—we did just get out of a drought after all. In the San Antonio neighborhood, a one-bed, one-bath garden apartment on 12th Avenue with a red door (not painted black) offers a bit more growing room and a bit more growing, as well as a small deck off the back. It’s $2,100/month for 600 square feet, and renters can throw a cat in as well. (Don’t actually throw it though, they hate that.)