A one-bedroom in San Francisco asks $4,200 a month; a two-bedroom $5,995.
Measured across the 505 single units at market rent listed in San Francisco right now — of 661 San Francisco listings in total, since building-wide rent ranges, income-restricted units and furnished short stays are left out of every median on this page. Every figure here is a median, the middle listing, not an average: a handful of luxury units drags an average upward and away from what you would actually be quoted.
Median asking rent for each size on the market today. Only single units at market rent are counted: a building advertising a spread of units, an income-restricted or senior unit and a furnished short stay are each left out, because none of them is the rent a typical renter is quoted. A size needs at least 5 listings before it gets a median, which is why a size can be missing here.
| Size | Median asking rent | Listings | vs a 1-bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,783 | 94 | -34% |
| 1 bedroom | $4,200 | 184 | — |
| 2 bedrooms | $5,995 | 152 | +43% |
| 3 bedrooms | $7,450 | 55 | +77% |
Median $6.24 per square foot a month, across the San Francisco listings that publish a size.
The medians above are what landlords are asking today. Zillow’s Observed Rent Index below is what renters across San Francisco are observed paying — a slower, broader number that includes leases signed months ago, which is why the two can disagree.
Ranked cheapest first by what a typical listing asks once restated as a one-bedroom, so an area full of studios does not look cheap merely for being small — each rent is scaled by the same bed ratios the rent model uses. Neighborhoods with at least 8 active listings.
| Neighborhood | Typical, as a 1-bed | 1-bed median | 2-bed median | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenderloin | $2,695 | $2,795 | $4,925 | 37 |
| Bayview Hunters Point | $3,050 | $2,475 | $4,098 | 17 |
| Inner Richmond | $3,623 | $3,623 | $3,150 | 10 |
| Sunset / Parkside | $3,688 | $1,800 | $4,500 | 19 |
| Hayes Valley | $4,004 | $4,195 | — | 19 |
| South of Market | $4,053 | $4,300 | $4,945 | 30 |
| Outer Richmond | $4,072 | $3,748 | $5,595 | 17 |
| Nob Hill | $4,092 | $4,000 | $7,995 | 53 |
| Mission | $4,150 | $4,000 | $5,500 | 44 |
| Twin Peaks | $4,188 | $4,375 | $4,900 | 8 |
| Haight Ashbury | $4,332 | $4,000 | $5,495 | 17 |
| Potrero Hill | $4,613 | $4,500 | $6,473 | 12 |
| Noe Valley | $4,683 | — | $6,400 | 11 |
| North Beach | $4,772 | $4,549 | $7,400 | 8 |
| Castro / Upper Market | $4,930 | — | $6,348 | 10 |
| Lone Mountain / USF | $4,995 | — | $6,495 | 8 |
| Russian Hill | $5,261 | $4,790 | $6,595 | 22 |
| Marina | $5,279 | $5,375 | $7,495 | 33 |
| Pacific Heights | $5,339 | $4,502 | $7,400 | 24 |
| Financial District / South Beach | $5,800 | $5,800 | $8,248 | 41 |
The typical 2-bed condo for sale in San Francisco asks $1,395,000. On 20% down, a 30-year fixed at 7.32% (Freddie Mac weekly average, 2026-10-22), property tax at 1.2% a year, $100/mo insurance and the median $1,132 HOA, owning costs about $10,293 a month against $5,995 to rent the same size — renting is $4,298 a month cheaper in cash terms. Price-to-rent is 19.4×. This is the cash comparison only: it leaves out maintenance, what the down payment would earn elsewhere, tax deductions, equity paydown and appreciation, each of which can change the long-run answer.
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In San Francisco, CA the median asking rent is $4,200 a month for a one-bedroom and $5,995 for a two-bedroom, across 505 active listings; Zillow’s rent index for San Francisco is +26.4% over the past year (Stealpad Rent Report, October 2026).
What is the average rent in San Francisco, CA?
Across 505 active San Francisco rental listings, the median asking rent is $4,200 a month for a one-bedroom and $5,995 for a two-bedroom. A studio asks about $2,783 and three-bedroom about $7,450. These are medians — the middle listing — not averages, because a few luxury units pull an average upward.
What is the average rent for a 1-bedroom in San Francisco?
$4,200 a month is the median asking rent for a one-bedroom in San Francisco right now, measured across the 184 one-bedroom listings on the market at market rent.
What is the average rent for a 2-bedroom in San Francisco?
$5,995 a month is the median asking rent for a two-bedroom in San Francisco right now, across 152 active listings.
Are rents in San Francisco going up or down?
Zillow’s Observed Rent Index for San Francisco is +26.4% over the 12 months to September 2026 — $3,785 to $4,784. That index tracks what renters are observed paying, which can move differently from what landlords are currently asking.
Which is the cheapest neighborhood to rent in San Francisco?
Of the San Francisco neighborhoods with at least 8 active listings, Tenderloin is cheapest — a typical rental there asks about $2,695 once restated as a one-bedroom. The most expensive is Financial District / South Beach at $5,800.
How much is rent per square foot in San Francisco?
The median San Francisco rental asks $6.24 per square foot per month, across the listings that publish a size.
Asking rents are San Francisco’s active listings from Redfin’s rentals feed, pulled Oct 27, 2026 and rebuilt twice a day. We report the median, never the mean: asking rents have a long upper tail, and one $25,000 penthouse moves a mean far more than it moves any real renter’s options.
Rent index is Zillow’s Observed Rent Index for San Francisco, smoothed, through September 2026 — what renters are observed paying rather than what is being advertised.
Neighborhoods come from public maps (San Francisco’s official list, OpenStreetMap in the East Bay); where no public list holds up we use ZIP areas and say so. Under market is the Rent Deal Score, explained on the rentals page.
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