What $5,900 rents you 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: $5,900.

Even in San Francisco any rental home seeking nearly six grand per month had better have much to offer in exchange. For example, this house in the Mission has three beds, two baths, and 2,000 square feet across three stories. It also comes with a “bonus room” on top of the bedrooms, a two-car garage, a landscaped backyard, a built-in sound system in the living room, a wraparound terrace, and a skylight in the master bathroom. And on top of that, the lease allows pets, cats and dogs alike. By San Francisco standards, that’s pretty generous; but the price is $5,875 per month. Should we demand more by way of the works? Read on and see.

Maybe this sort of monthly financial demand calls for a Victorian—not only that, but a pre-1906 one for $5,800 per month. Note that even that sum doesn’t net you the full house in Potrero Hill. Like most Victorians in the city, this one has long since been turned into a duplex sporting two beds, one bath, and 1,100 square feet. The ad pitches the place as “modern yet warm, clean, and with personality and good flow,” with the likes of heated concrete floors, yoga room, Turfstone backyard, art furnishings, and promises of a “peaceful urban Zen garden” atmosphere. The landlord also promises to discuss pets.

If a two-story penthouse with one brick wall is more your speed, check out this home in Chinatown where $5,850 per month lands you a space inside an old mid-rise at the busy intersection of multiple streets and alleys. The unit is 1,500 square feet with three beds and two baths. The leasing agents promote the space as “like new” but don’t mention any specific renovation. There’s a deck and a balcony on the second floor, overlooking the alleyway below. Despite the hefty price tag, no pets allowed.

Over in Mission Dolores you will find a “spectacular” top-floor condo just down the block from Dolores Park. At nearly 1,500 square feet, the place is roomy enough, but since it comes with only one bed and one bath,, the extra space goes into making the living room and dining room more spacious. The landlord presents the home as “huge and house-like” although it is, in fact, a duplex. Notice the coffered ceiling throughout, the butler’s pantry, and the fact that the one bedroom is split; the fireplace is just decorative, unfortunately. It costs $5,890 per month. Pets are a go, which should be a particular attraction for dog lovers who prize the nearby park.

Finally, any renter who wondered what a “state of the art flat” in Russian Hill looks like, the answer turns out to be this: a two-bed, two-bath affair just over a thousand square feet, all of it apparently recently renovated and packaged with garden, “custom detail” and finishes, and new hardwood floors. New enough to ask all of $5,850 per month, even while holding its tongue about whether pets are allowed.