What $2,900 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: $2,900.

Via Craigslist

Life as a San Francisco icon can be an up and down affair—or so the homeowners on Lombard Street would have us believe. Maybe in the end it’s better to move in next door to the city’s most famous sights (and sites), like this Alamo Square apartment building next to the Painted Ladies, one of the most photographed spot in all of San Francisco besides the Golden Gate Bridge. The building looks like a bit of an ox next to the much smaller and more genteel Vics, but the circa-1927 construction has plenty of its own charm. A one-bath studio here measures 490 square feet and runs $2,875 per month with no pets allowed.

Via Craigslist

The circa-1910 St. Elizabeth Building on Nob Hill is also within glancing distance of an icon—Chinatown in this case, sitting as it does right on the edge of the two neighborhoods—and has style and premium architecture in its corner—”showcasing a grand lobby, exquisite woodwork and a breathtaking circular staircase”—but, admittedly, it fits in a bit less with its surroundings. A one-bed, one-bath apartment runs $2,900 per month. Features include 12-foot ceilings and access to the building’s roof deck. Dogs aren’t allowed, but cats are okay. Why, there’s not even an extra pet deposit. A reason to purr indeed.

This Turk Street Victorian is not far from Alamo Square, although it lands in Nopa. Unlike the Painted Ladies, this classic prefers its baroque facade and a gray shade for high drama. Of course, $2,900 per month (fortune though it is anywhere else) is not enough to rent a full house like this in SF these days, but a junior-one-bed apartment in the circa-1900 building (or so—1900 is often a placeholder date for pre-Great Earthquake buildings without original documentation) is yours for the asking. Decorative fireplace and hardwood floors included, but “sorry, no pets.”

As long as we’re touring old school buildings, this brick-based setup in Jackson Square harkens back to 1907. The ad for the one-bed, one-bath apartment here calls it a “vintage building” where “old meets new” thanks to a claimed 2013 remodel that updated the kitchen and bathroom with stone countertops and more. At 418 square feet, it’s the smallest of the lot. The price is $2,900 per month. And, once again pets, are told to hit the bricks. Alas.

And finally, this circa-1900 (see previous historical note) Victorian in Potrero Hill dubs its own apartment for rent a “unique” SF asset. This lower level flat is “compact” at 475 square feet. It also “features a graveled atrium accessible through generous French doors from the apartment’s central area.” The ad goes on to note it as “very private, well sheltered from wind and rain, yet open to the air,” which really does look like a knockout. The deal is $2,850 per month. No word on pets.