San Francisco, CA rents, October 2026

What an apartment lists for in San Francisco.

These are medians: half the listings ask more and half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.

What a 1 bedroom in San Francisco lists for, in $250 steps.

Half ask between $4,199 and $5,712 a month. Listed 1 bedrooms by asking rent, 605 in all.

A 1 bedroom costs $2,883 in one city in the San Francisco Bay area and $4,923 in another.

Median asking rent for a 1 bedroom, by city. San Francisco is 3rd of 3, lowest first. Apartment size and age differ from place to place, so the useful number is your own city's.

1. Fremont$2,883
2. Oakland$2,913
3. San Francisco$4,923

Per square foot, a 1 bedroom in San Francisco lists for $7.52.

The median 1 bedroom listed in San Francisco, CA is 650 sq ft, at a median of $7.52 a sq ft a month (573 listings with a size). Divide your rent by your square feet to see where you sit.

The same floor plan, in the same building, can list at different prices.

When a building in San Francisco, CA lists two or more units of the identical floor plan (same name, bedrooms, bathrooms and square feet), 66% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart: 109 of 164 plans in 59 buildings. 74 are $200 or more apart. The median gap is $159.

$100 a month is $1,200 a year. Floor, view and move-in date explain some of it. It's still worth knowing what the other units of your plan list for when you tour or when your renewal comes.

The typical big building here listed 1 in 27 of its apartments this season.

Of 69 buildings in San Francisco, CA with 50 or more apartments, the median has 3.8% of its units listed in the last 45 days; 1 have 1 in 10 or more. Listed isn't vacant: a listing can be a unit coming free in the next few weeks. A building with units to fill is usually glad to keep a good renter.

Questions renters ask.

How much is rent in San Francisco, CA?

Median asking rent in San Francisco, CA, October 2026: studio $3,795, 1 bedroom $4,923, 2 bedrooms $6,660, 3 bedrooms $8,945 a month, from 1,471 listed apartments in 405 buildings (listings collected Oct 3–17, 2026).

How much is a 1 bedroom apartment in San Francisco, CA in October 2026?

The median asking rent for a 1 bedroom in San Francisco, CA is $4,923 a month, from 605 listed apartments in 210 buildings (listings collected Oct 3–17, 2026).

What is a normal price range for a 1 bedroom in San Francisco, CA?

Half of the listed 1 bedrooms in San Francisco, CA ask between $4,199 and $5,712 a month; a quarter ask less and a quarter ask more.

How much is a studio or a 2 bedroom in San Francisco, CA?

A studio's median asking rent is $3,795 a month and a 2 bedroom's is $6,660.

How big is a typical 1 bedroom in San Francisco, CA?

The median listed 1 bedroom in San Francisco, CA is 650 sq ft, at a median $7.52 a sq ft a month (573 listings with a size).

Which cities in the San Francisco Bay area have the lowest 1 bedroom rents?

Of the 3 San Francisco Bay-area cities we track, by median 1 bedroom asking rent: Fremont $2,883, Oakland $2,913, San Francisco $4,923.

Do apartments with the same floor plan in the same building rent for the same price?

Often not. When a building in San Francisco, CA lists two or more units of the identical floor plan, 66% of the time they are $100 or more a month apart (109 of 164 plans). The median gap is $159. $100 a month is $1,200 a year.

Are these the rents people actually pay?

No. They are asking rents on listings (Apartments.com and Zillow), not signed leases, and move-in specials are not taken off. They show what a building is asking for a unit today.

How we got these numbers.

• Asking rents, not signed leases. Apartments listed on Apartments.com and Zillow collected Oct 3–17, 2026. Move-in specials aren't taken off.
• Each apartment counts once, even when both sites list it. Base rents from $300 to $15,000 a month.
• Figures are medians: half the listings ask more, half ask less. The rent map shows averages, which run a little higher.
• Every figure comes from two or more buildings, and no building is named. A bedroom count with fewer than 10 listings says “not enough listings”.
• Market-rate apartment listings only: whole houses, furnished units, income-restricted units whose listing says so (MFTE and other affordable-housing programs) and rents we found while researching a renter's lease are left out.
• Updated every two weeks, when new listings are gathered; the month in the title is the month of the update date above. The full method.