What you can rent near the Castro Muni Station

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a regular column that usually explores what you can rent for a set dollar amount in different neighborhoods, but for Curbed’s Transportation Week instead we explore what you can rent near a major transit hub—the Castro station. Is one person's studio is another person's townhouse? Let’s find out.

↑ It’s all luster and polish inside this two-bed, two-bath condo on Ford Street near 17th and Sanchez. Just look at the twinkle of the light on that kitchen backsplash, or the finish on the woodwork of those built-ins and paneling, matched by the marching rows of window frames on the opposite wall, all behind a sedate but classical Edwardian facade. Beauty comes at a price; this place wants $5,950/month, and “no pets” allowed.

↑ This one-bed, one-bath apartment in Duboce Triangle doesn’t have a steady hand on style. In fact, it looks a bit scattered. The chaotic splay of the charcoal-colored tile clash with the wood floors and banisters, while the poppy-colored bedroom walls verge on extreme. But what it lacks in cohesiveness it makes up for in prime location. This apartment on 16th Street rents for $3,995/month (unchanged from six months ago); cats and dogs permitted.

↑ The example of this two-bed, two-bath apartment at Castro and 19th (above Buffalo Whole Food) is not as showy as the previous entries. Although the facade of the place—Victoriana with irregular stonework—might big the biggest statement of all. The rent is a statement too: $4,400/month. A very pretty penny, indeed, but nearly half the price of the smaller place up the street with a roommate. Also, pets are okay.

↑ Pretty faces are all well and good, but what about the bottom line? The cheapest rental near the Castro station and the soon to be revamped Harvey Milk Plaza is this one-bed, one-bath apartment at the nexus of Castro, Noe, and 16th Streets (a meeting of power players indeed) for $2,395/month. The little space measures roughly 400 square feet from beginning to end, but that’s why it’s coming in under three grand. No dogs allowed, but cats are okay.

↑ Renters weary of apartment living may ask, aren’t there any houses in the Castro looking for tenants? As a matter fact, yes, there are a few, including one startling specimen at Cumberland and Noe. It’s a five-bed, four-and-a-half-bath number with contemporary interiors. Which is presumably why it rents for (deep breath) $22,500/month. And yes, for that much, you’d better believe that dogs and cats are allowed.