Which San Francisco Neighborhoods Fit Your Rent Budget?
Median asking rent for a 1-bedroom in 29 SF neighborhoods, from $2,590 in the Excelsior to $5,680 in the Financial District, with budget bands and supply.
Updated Oct 27, 20268 min read
The median asking rent for a 1-bedroom ranged from $2,590 in the Excelsior to $5,680 in the Financial District, across 29 San Francisco neighborhoods. The middle neighborhood asked $3,850 for a 1-bedroom. 8 neighborhoods had a 1-bedroom median under $3,500, and 12 were at $4,000 or more. South of Market had the most listings by far: 2,631, or 23.1% of all listings we counted in the city's neighborhoods.
These are asking rents in active listings first listed in the 180 days before October 27, 2026. They are not signed leases. Every number on this page gives its listing count, so you can see how much data stands behind it.
There is no single "best" neighborhood. What you can measure is what a neighborhood asks for the size you need, and how many listings come up there. This guide sorts the city by both.
How we measured this
- Source. RentReboot's San Francisco listing data, read on October 27, 2026.
- Window. Active listings first listed in the 180 days before that date.
- One listing per unit. If a unit was listed more than once, it counts once.
- Excluded. Classified-board listings.
- Statistic. The median asking rent. Half of the units ask more and half ask less.
- Minimum sample. We show a neighborhood and bedroom count only when it has at least 10 listings. "Too few" in a table means fewer than 10.
- Neighborhoods. Each listing is in the neighborhood our records assign to its address. 233 listings had an address in San Francisco but no neighborhood. We leave them out of this page.
An asking rent is the price in the listing. The rent a tenant signs for can be different, and listings do not tell us that.
Every San Francisco neighborhood by 1-bedroom rent
Sorted from the lowest 1-bedroom median to the highest. Each cell is the median asking rent a month, with the number of listings in brackets. "All listings" adds up the studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom groups that have at least 10 listings. Click a neighborhood for its full rent page.
| Neighborhood | 1-bedroom | Studio | 2-bedroom | All listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior | $2,590 (20) | Too few | $3,500 (23) | 65 |
| Visitacion Valley | $2,875 (14) | Too few | $3,520 (14) | 40 |
| Outer Mission | $2,998 (30) | $2,999 (15) | $4,200 (40) | 102 |
| Bayview/Hunters Point | $3,000 (29) | Too few | $3,975 (38) | 109 |
| Chinatown | $3,018 (68) | $2,495 (63) | $5,995 (13) | 144 |
| Lakeshore | $3,038 (32) | $2,738 (25) | $3,950 (37) | 121 |
| Outer Sunset | $3,200 (115) | $2,798 (20) | $4,735 (102) | 314 |
| Outer Richmond | $3,400 (91) | $2,795 (37) | $4,900 (113) | 312 |
| West of Twin Peaks | $3,543 (22) | Too few | $5,325 (14) | 68 |
| Inner Richmond | $3,600 (125) | $2,895 (35) | $4,995 (122) | 327 |
| Downtown/Civic Center | $3,695 (386) | $2,353 (592) | $5,457 (186) | 1,174 |
| Bernal Heights | $3,790 (50) | Too few | $4,935 (57) | 141 |
| Glen Park | $3,800 (13) | Too few | $5,500 (16) | 39 |
| Twin Peaks | $3,848 (40) | Too few | $4,995 (19) | 69 |
| Presidio Heights | $3,850 (24) | $3,495 (13) | $5,898 (30) | 83 |
| Inner Sunset | $3,977 (141) | $2,775 (30) | $4,650 (62) | 270 |
| Mission | $3,995 (255) | $2,775 (129) | $5,395 (192) | 663 |
| Nob Hill | $4,195 (221) | $2,795 (153) | $6,250 (117) | 528 |
| Noe Valley | $4,195 (88) | $2,998 (28) | $5,973 (82) | 242 |
| North Beach | $4,200 (80) | $2,795 (39) | $6,000 (45) | 192 |
| Haight Ashbury | $4,295 (129) | $3,248 (48) | $5,745 (124) | 345 |
| Castro/Upper Market | $4,300 (105) | $3,195 (35) | $6,000 (93) | 282 |
| Western Addition | $4,395 (378) | $3,495 (203) | $6,299 (265) | 917 |
| South of Market | $4,681 (1,149) | $3,800 (580) | $6,538 (853) | 2,631 |
| Russian Hill | $4,695 (119) | $3,545 (52) | $7,097 (88) | 298 |
| Pacific Heights | $4,940 (161) | $3,995 (79) | $6,910 (120) | 379 |
| Potrero Hill | $4,945 (125) | $3,848 (88) | $6,500 (132) | 383 |
| Marina | $4,950 (200) | $3,650 (117) | $7,000 (142) | 503 |
| Financial District | $5,680 (279) | $4,682 (122) | $7,678 (146) | 557 |
| Crocker Amazon | Too few | Too few | $3,900 (18) | 18 |
| Parkside | Too few | Too few | $4,495 (19) | 32 |
| Presidio | Too few | Too few | $5,200 (10) | 30 |
Crocker Amazon, Parkside and Presidio had fewer than 10 listed 1-bedrooms, so they are at the bottom, in alphabetical order. Six neighborhoods have fewer than 30 listed 1-bedrooms: Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, Bayview/Hunters Point, West of Twin Peaks, Glen Park and Presidio Heights. A few new listings can move those medians a lot.
Which neighborhoods fit your 1-bedroom budget?
We split the 29 neighborhoods with a 1-bedroom median into five bands. A band shows where the typical 1-bedroom asks. Half of the listings in a neighborhood ask less than its median, so a lower budget can still work there.
| 1-bedroom median | Neighborhoods | 1-bed listings |
|---|---|---|
| Under $3,000 | Excelsior ($2,590), Visitacion Valley ($2,875), Outer Mission ($2,998) | 64 |
| $3,000 to $3,499 | Bayview/Hunters Point ($3,000), Chinatown ($3,018), Lakeshore ($3,038), Outer Sunset ($3,200), Outer Richmond ($3,400) | 335 |
| $3,500 to $3,999 | West of Twin Peaks ($3,543), Inner Richmond ($3,600), Downtown/Civic Center ($3,695), Bernal Heights ($3,790), Glen Park ($3,800), Twin Peaks ($3,848), Presidio Heights ($3,850), Inner Sunset ($3,977), Mission ($3,995) | 1,056 |
| $4,000 to $4,499 | Nob Hill ($4,195), Noe Valley ($4,195), North Beach ($4,200), Haight Ashbury ($4,295), Castro/Upper Market ($4,300), Western Addition ($4,395) | 1,001 |
| $4,500 and up | South of Market ($4,681), Russian Hill ($4,695), Pacific Heights ($4,940), Potrero Hill ($4,945), Marina ($4,950), Financial District ($5,680) | 2,033 |
The bands show a trade-off between price and supply. The three neighborhoods under $3,000 had 64 listed 1-bedrooms between them. The six neighborhoods at $4,500 and up had 2,033. The $3,500 to $3,999 band is the middle ground. It includes Downtown/Civic Center (386 listings) and the Mission (255 listings).
On a studio budget. 22 neighborhoods had at least 10 listed studios. Downtown/Civic Center had the lowest studio median, $2,353, and the most studios, 592. Chinatown came next at $2,495 (63 listings). The Financial District was the highest at $4,682 (122 listings).
On a 2-bedroom budget. All 32 neighborhoods had at least 10 listed 2-bedrooms. The Excelsior ($3,500, 23 listings) and Visitacion Valley ($3,520, 14 listings) had the lowest medians. The Financial District was the highest at $7,678 (146 listings). South of Market had the most 2-bedrooms, 853, at a median of $6,538.
Where do most San Francisco listings come up?
We counted 11,378 listings across the 32 neighborhoods. Half of them were in five neighborhoods.
| Neighborhood | All listings | Share | 1-bed median |
|---|---|---|---|
| South of Market | 2,631 | 23.1% | $4,681 |
| Downtown/Civic Center | 1,174 | 10.3% | $3,695 |
| Western Addition | 917 | 8.1% | $4,395 |
| Mission | 663 | 5.8% | $3,995 |
| Financial District | 557 | 4.9% | $5,680 |
| Nob Hill | 528 | 4.6% | $4,195 |
| Marina | 503 | 4.4% | $4,950 |
The top five held 52.2% of the listings we counted. South of Market alone had 1,149 of the 4,489 listed 1-bedrooms (25.6%).
Supply matters as much as price. In a neighborhood with many listings, you get more choices each week. In a small one, a good unit can be the only one for weeks. Downtown/Civic Center is the clearest case where both work in your favor: it had the second-most listings and a 1-bedroom median below the middle neighborhood.
Which neighborhoods have a BART station?
BART's official station pages give these addresses for four stations in the neighborhoods above:
- Mission: 16th St./Mission (2000 Mission Street) and 24th St./Mission (2800 Mission Street).
- Glen Park: Glen Park (2901 Diamond Street).
- Downtown/Civic Center: Civic Center/UN Plaza (1150 Market Street).
BART also lists Embarcadero, Montgomery St., Powell St. and Balboa Park in San Francisco. We did not check which of our neighborhoods their addresses fall in, so we leave them out. Check your own commute in a transit trip planner before you sign.
Is the apartment rent controlled?
In San Francisco, rent control depends mostly on the building, not the neighborhood. About 44% of recent San Francisco listings were in buildings with 2 or more units built before 1979. Our report on rent-controlled apartments for rent in San Francisco explains how we got that figure. To check a unit you want, use our guide Is my San Francisco apartment rent controlled?. Only the Rent Board can confirm a unit.
San Francisco neighborhood FAQs
What is the average rent in San Francisco?
We report medians, not averages, and by neighborhood. Across the 29 neighborhoods with at least 10 listed 1-bedrooms, the middle neighborhood (Presidio Heights) had a 1-bedroom median asking rent of $3,850. The 1-bedroom medians ranged from $2,590 to $5,680. Across the 32 neighborhoods with at least 10 listed 2-bedrooms, the middle 2-bedroom median was $5,426. These are active listings first listed in the 180 days before October 27, 2026, one per unit, with classified boards left out. Each neighborhood counts once here, so this is not a city-wide median of all listings. For the city figure, see San Francisco average rents.
What are the cheapest neighborhoods to rent a 1-bedroom in San Francisco?
The lowest 1-bedroom medians were in the Excelsior ($2,590, 20 listings), Visitacion Valley ($2,875, 14 listings) and the Outer Mission ($2,998, 30 listings). All three have small samples. Of the neighborhoods with at least 100 listed 1-bedrooms, the Outer Sunset had the lowest median, $3,200 (115 listings).
What are the most expensive neighborhoods to rent in San Francisco?
The Financial District had the highest 1-bedroom median, $5,680 (279 listings). The Marina ($4,950), Potrero Hill ($4,945) and Pacific Heights ($4,940) came next.
Which San Francisco neighborhood has the most apartments for rent?
South of Market. It had 2,631 listings, 23.1% of the 11,378 we counted across the city's neighborhoods. Downtown/Civic Center was second with 1,174.
Where can I rent a studio for under $3,000 in San Francisco?
12 of the 22 neighborhoods with at least 10 listed studios had a studio median under $3,000. Downtown/Civic Center ($2,353) and Chinatown ($2,495) had the lowest. Downtown/Civic Center also had the most studios, 592.
What is the best neighborhood to rent in San Francisco?
It depends on your budget and your commute. Start with the band for your budget above. Then look at the listing count, because a neighborhood with more listings gives you more choices. Then check the trip to your work or school.
More San Francisco renter guides
- What does $3,000 rent you in San Francisco?
- What does it cost to rent in the Bay Area in 2026?
- Renting in Outer Richmond: prices, viewings and commutes
- How to apply for a San Francisco apartment
- Oakland rent control and rents
👉 Set up RentReboot alerts for the neighborhoods you pick. RentReboot can email you new listings there with your budget and bedroom count. We find many listings, not all of them, so check each one with the landlord before you pay anything.