What $2,700 rents in San Francisco right now

Welcome to 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? Today’s price: $2,700.

If nothing else, the ceiling in this studio on O’Farrell Street, right in the heart of the Tenderloin, really helps tie the place together. (Note: These same images appear in several different ads for the building.) The leasing agent dubs this fifth-floor unit in the circa-1928 charmer at the corner of Leavenworth a “huge studio,” but doesn’t qualify the statement with any measurements; curious would-be renters will have to investigate for themselves. However much you get for it, the deal is $2,695/month, unless you want to bring pets along, in which case the price goes up $75 per pet.

While the previous building is straight out of the Jazz Age and looks every bit the part, in SoMa a competing studio markets itself as a “brand new development” just broken in this year at 750 Harrison. “Our brand-new homes are complete with vinyl flooring, stainless-steel appliances, granite countertops, and oversized windows,” according to the leasing agent; the windows in the photos admittedly don’t look oversized, but maybe it’s relative to the size of the unit, which measures a mere 350 square feet. The price to squeeze in here is $2,600/month, but the price includes pets.

What’s to say about this apartment in Visitacion Valley? Well, it’s memorable. And at two beds, one bath, and 1,000 square feet, it’s also quite roomy by these standards. The ad pitches “newly finished concrete floors, quartz countertops, [and] brick mimicking walls in kitchen,” which is a recent renovation. To be honest, the finished product still looks pretty unfinished. And the backyard, though spacious, looks pretty rough too. With the way things are going these days, many renters are grateful to get a foothold anywhere they can. And yes, this place is $2,600/month, without any word on pets.

Technically this Cole Valley studio isn’t available until January, so this is more of a sneak preview than an immediate housing prospect. “This unit has been thoughtfully designed to provide a feeling of space with ample natural light,” the landlord promises, adding that there’s “both a seating and dining area in the room along with a queen sized bed, [...] full kitchen and a full sized bathroom,” which is indeed all true, even if it’s all arranged within a pretty minimal 400 square foot space. The $2,700/month asking price is well positioned too; the ad doesn’t mention pets.

No two ways about it, from the curb this NoPa Victorian is a thing of pure beauty. It also has an extra addition in the form of a one-bed, one-bath in-law, “newly refurbished” with a shared backyard and a singular 333 square foot interior area. The lease allows dogs but not cats (this despite cats’ natural predilection for storied SF Victorians), and the price for a little piece of paradise is up to $2,700/month here.