What $3,700 rents in SF 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: $3,700.

Advertised as “a charming boutique complex” at 930 Pine, this Nob Hill building dates to 1973 and is distinguished by its longe expanses of wood shingles and banks of tall, narrow windows. The apartment is a one-bed, one-bath, 700-square-foot setup on the top floor, “refreshed with new carpeting and new interior painting” and promising a “flexible floor plan.” The deal includes garage parking, but the ad doesn’t say anything about pets. The charming and boutique price comes out to $3,600 per month.

Potential renters who heading further up that hill and crest into Russian Hill will come within the vicinity of the Summit, a-circa 1964 high-rise courtesy of San Francisco’s favorite latter-day developer Joseph Eichler. Noting that the building is “visible for miles,” this ad promises a “new cherrywood kitchen,” marble flooring, and carpeting in a sizable 930-square-foot one-bed, one-bath apartment on the 24th floor. The cost is $3,700 per month, located inside a building where units regularly sell for several million dollars a pop. The property managers suggest using it as a pied-a-tierre.

Further south you’ll find this three-bed, one-bath set-up in Ingleside, just south of City College. Note that although this offer covers the majority of the building, it’s technically an apartment rather than a house, because there is a smaller downstairs unit not include in the $3,700 arrangement offered here. The sales pitch includes hardwood flooring throughout, large living room with fireplace, and ample kitchen and dining room. No pets allowed here, either.

In West SoMa on Howard Street, you’ll find a conversion loft in the historic Lighthouse Lofts. Not be confused with the Lighthouse building next to Dolores Park, this building, which dates to 1924, received a condo conversion in 1998. A previous listing for what appears to be this exact same unit claimed that “no two homes have identical floor plans” throughout the building, and touted the same 17-foot ceiling height, concrete exposure, and “large skylight that allow for an abundance of natural light.” Although this one-bed, one-and-a-half-bath, approximately 1,000-square-foot loft has been waiting to secure a renter since July, the $3,700-per-month asking price hasn’t dropped. No word on pets.

Last up, in North Beach we have an “immaculate two-bed, one-bath unit” with 1,000 square feet of space for $3,695 per month. The ad promotes its “lovely vintage details and fantastic layout” and pushes the appeal of the roof deck, along with “newer” (but evidently not completely new) interiors. No pets allowed, though.