What $4,800 rents you 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 is another person’s townhouse? Today’s price: $4,800.

↑ Here’s a stark lesson in the state of San Francisco rentals: While it’s not surprising that a newly one-bedroom, one-bath condo in the Mission charges $4,800/month for move-in rights, consider the size of the assets: a mere 570 square feet. Certainly not the smallest home ever featured on Comparisons, but a bit of a squeeze considering the price. This 16-unit building at 3420 18th Street finished construction last year. On top of the newly minted finishes and Mission locale it hopes to entice tenants with “beautiful hardwood floor,” tile backsplash, and a rooftop deck. It stops short of making allowances for pets.

↑ For contrast, consider this competing Haight flat that also offers a roof deck, one that’s almost as big as the aforementioned Mission condo. The two-bedroom, two-bath “penthouse flat” is itself about 1,000 square feet, a “one of a kind bright unit with view of deep inner block greenery and city skyline.” The price in this case is $4,800/month, which covers utilities. Still no word about pets.

↑ Extra space is important, but it’s got nothing on style. In the Sunset along 30th Avenue, renters can net a three-bed, two-bath house for the same $4,800/month price tag, and this one is even a bit of a looker. Though the design is a little uneven, the likes of the moldings, a center atrium, and a living room with vaulted ceiling and a wood burning fireplace create a sense of greater ambition than most new constructions manage. Even the checkerboard tile countertops in the kitchen have a little something going for them. Again, no word on pets.

↑ Not to be outdone, this Douglass Street house in the Castro is nothing short of a stunner from curbside, with brick elements that highlight the trim and the advertised “enclosed terra-cotta tiled porch surrounded by windows” on this circa-1915 construction in impeccable fashion. The ad boasts “tasteful marble backsplash,” “caesar stone counters,” and there’s mention of a stained glass window, although it doesn’t appear in the provided photos. It comes with two beds, one bath, and a $4,750/month price tag, And there’s no playing coy here—the lease unambiguously allows pets.

↑ Last but not least, consider the case of this loft on Van Ness and O’Farrell, a location that’s very much in the Tenderloin albeit it right on the neighborhood’s western edge and trying to offer a decidedly non ’Loin-like experience. Not that there aren’t very many beautiful buildings and homes in that storied neighborhood. But from the windows to the open kitchen, there’s no mistaking the contemporary aspirations of this one-bed, two-bath place. And that’s probably why the rent is $4,700/month, a price tag dissimilar to the Tenderloin. Also of note: No pets allowed here. Alas.