How Much Is Rent in San Francisco? (2026)

Updated September 2026. Based on Apartment List's August 2026 rent estimates, Vacancy Index, time-on-market data, and research.

Apartment List's Rent Index estimates San Francisco's median monthly rent at $3,844 in August 2026, 25.6% higher than a year earlier, with one-bedrooms at $3,881 and two-bedrooms at $4,599. If you're searching for a one-bedroom, use the one-bedroom median rather than the median for all apartment sizes. These bedroom-specific medians give you a starting point for comparing apartments in the neighborhoods you're considering.

That one-year increase was the fastest among the 100 largest U.S. cities, according to Apartment List's estimates, and the overall median was also 22.4% higher than in January 2026. Below, see how fast prices are moving, how availability has changed, whether the time of year still matters, and where rent runs lower nearby.

How Much Is Rent in San Francisco Right Now?

Median Monthly Rent, San Francisco and U.S., August 2026

Source: Apartment List Rent Index and San Francisco rent report, August 2026.

San Francisco ranked highest among the 100 largest U.S. cities for overall, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom median rent in August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates, at more than 2.7 times the national median. San Jose ($3,132) and Irvine ($3,092) had the next-highest overall medians.

How Fast Are Rents in San Francisco Rising?

Faster than in any other large U.S. city. San Francisco's overall median rent rose 3.2% in August 2026 alone, 22.4% since January, and 25.6% over the past year, according to Apartment List's estimates. Every comparison period points the same way.

For scale, the national median rose 0.1% in August 2026 and was 0.8% lower than a year earlier, according to Apartment List. Oakland, at 15.1% over the year, was the only other of the 100 largest cities with a one-year increase above 10%.

Has Rent in San Francisco Been Rising All Year?

Yes. San Francisco's overall median rent has risen for nine consecutive months, from December 2025 through August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates, and its lead over the year-earlier level has widened from 13.7% in January 2026 to 25.6% in August. Rents rose 10.8% between January and August 2025; over the same months of 2026 they rose 22.4%.

San Francisco Median Monthly Rent and Year-over-Year Change, January to August 2026

Source: Apartment List analysis of its monthly rent estimates, overall median, August 2026 data release.

The four months before that barely moved. According to Apartment List's estimates, San Francisco's overall median stayed between $3,079 and $3,093 from September through December 2025, and its year-over-year increase held between 12.6% and 13.2%.

San Francisco Median Monthly Rent and Year-over-Year Change, September to December 2025

Source: Apartment List analysis of its monthly rent estimates, overall median, August 2026 data release.

Has Rent in San Francisco Passed Its Pre-Pandemic Peak?

Yes, since March 2026. According to Apartment List's analysis of its monthly estimates, San Francisco's overall median rent peaked at about $3,230 in July 2019, fell to about $2,268 in January 2021, and did not pass the 2019 peak again until March 2026. August 2026's $3,844 is $614, or 19.0%, above the 2019 peak.

Is It Hard to Find an Apartment in San Francisco Right Now?

The available share is low, and apartments that lease are moving quickly. In August 2026, 2.36% of units in the San Francisco apartment buildings covered by Apartment List's Vacancy Index were listed as available, the lowest August reading since the index began in 2017 and down from 3.78% a year earlier. Apartments that leased in August 2026 had been listed for a median of 18.2 days, according to Apartment List's time-on-market data, the fastest August since that series began in 2019, compared with 31.7 days nationally.

Listing Time and Available Share, San Francisco and U.S., August 2025 and August 2026

Source: Apartment List, time-on-market data and Vacancy Index, August 2026.

Ask about availability and the application timeline when you arrange a tour.

Why Are Rents in San Francisco Rising So Fast?

More demand, limited new supply, according to Apartment List's August 2026 research. On the demand side, Apartment List's research points to the growth of the AI industry, several of whose largest companies are headquartered in San Francisco neighborhoods that were struggling with occupancy a few years earlier, bringing renters with larger housing budgets into the city. On the supply side, Apartment List's analysis of building permit data shows permits for new apartments in San Francisco fell to a low of 705 in 2024 and rose to nearly 1,400 in 2025, fewer than 2 permitted apartments per 1,000 residents. Austin permitted more than 15 per 1,000 residents during the post-pandemic construction boom. Permits indicate potential construction; they are not completed apartments.

The same research describes rent growth spreading from San Francisco into the East Bay and Peninsula. Oakland's median rent was up 15.1% from a year earlier in August 2026, Daly City's 10.8%, and San Mateo's 9.2%, according to Apartment List's estimates.

When Is the Best Time of Year to Rent in San Francisco?

Fall and winter used to be the cheaper months in San Francisco, and the pattern has broken two years running. San Francisco's overall median rent ended January below the previous September in seven of the nine periods from 2017-18 through 2025-26, according to Apartment List's analysis of its monthly estimates, with declines between 1.9% and 6.4% outside the pandemic winter of 2020-21, when it fell 10.4%. In the two most recent periods it rose instead: 1.2% from September 2024 to January 2025 and 1.9% from September 2025 to January 2026. The last two September-to-January comparisons give you little reason to count on a winter discount.

Do Apartments Rent Faster in Summer or Winter in San Francisco?

Summer. Apartment List's time-on-market data, averaged over 2019 to 2025, shows San Francisco apartments that leased in July had been listed for a median of 25.7 days, against 38.2 days for apartments that leased in January. Every month of 2026 so far has come in below its 2019 to 2025 average.

San Francisco Seasonal Listing Times, 2019 to 2025

Source: Apartment List analysis of its time-on-market data, San Francisco city, 2019 to 2025.

Those figures describe apartments that already leased, not how long a listing you are looking at will stay open.

Where Is Rent Cheaper Near San Francisco?

Berkeley. It had the lowest overall, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom medians of the 15 San Francisco metro area cities in Apartment List's August 2026 estimates, at $2,209, $2,038, and $2,459. Alameda ($2,104), Livermore ($2,117), and Oakland ($2,137) were the next-lowest for a one-bedroom. In Apartment List's August 2026 estimates, seven of the 15 cities had a one-bedroom median under $2,500, all of them in Alameda County, across the Bay to the east.

Metro Area Cities With a One-Bedroom Median Under $2,500, August 2026

Source: Apartment List rent estimates, August 2026. Cities sorted by one-bedroom median; each row covers that city's own boundaries.

The other eight cities, San Francisco among them, had one-bedroom medians of $2,500 or more, according to Apartment List's August 2026 estimates. San Mateo ($3,427) and Redwood City ($3,264), both on the Peninsula, came closest to San Francisco's $3,881.

Metro Area Cities With a One-Bedroom Median of $2,500 or More, August 2026

Source: Apartment List rent estimates, August 2026. Cities sorted by one-bedroom median; each row covers that city's own boundaries.

A higher citywide median doesn't necessarily mean higher rent for the apartment size you need, because the overall median pools all apartment sizes while the bedroom medians describe separate groups. San Mateo shows the difference: its overall median of $3,870 was above San Francisco's $3,844, but its one- and two-bedroom medians were below San Francisco's, by $454 and $305. Livermore and Hayward show it too: Livermore's overall median was higher, its one-bedroom median lower.

Walnut Creek, Union City, Dublin, and Emeryville in the second table are also East Bay cities; Daly City, Redwood City, and San Mateo are south on the Peninsula. Whether a lower rent works for you also depends on where you need to go regularly.

Find a San Francisco Apartment That Fits Your Search

Use Apartment List's August 2026 medians for San Francisco, $3,881 for a one-bedroom and $4,599 for a two-bedroom, to set a price reference, then compare what apartments in that range actually offer.

For example, a San Francisco one-bedroom listed at $4,200 would be $319 above Apartment List's August 2026 one-bedroom median of $3,881. Its condition, location, lease terms, required monthly charges, and included utilities can help you judge whether that difference is worthwhile.

Have your paperwork ready before you tour: ID, proof of income, and references. If your moving date is flexible, compare listings across months rather than counting on a winter discount.

Build a shortlist of places that meet your needs and compare their total monthly costs side by side. That gives you a practical next step: deciding which apartments deserve a tour and what to ask before applying.

Explore apartments in San Francisco

For help fitting rent into your broader budget, see our San Francisco cost of living guide. For the full analysis of why rents are rising, read Apartment List's research: San Francisco's Rental Market Is Booming Again.

Sources and Methodology

Rent, vacancy, and listing-time figures on this page come from Apartment List's August 2026 data release, published in September 2026. Earlier months are shown as revised in that release.

Data Sources and Calculation Methods Behind This Page

All three data series are published on Apartment List's data and rent estimates page.

Frequently Asked Questions About San Francisco Rent

What Is the Average Rent in San Francisco, CA?

Apartment List's Rent Index puts San Francisco's median rent at $3,844 in August 2026 across all apartment sizes, and $3,881 for a one-bedroom. Apartment List reports the median, the midpoint of new-lease rents signed in the month, so a figure another source labels an average rent is not directly comparable.

How Much Do You Need to Earn to Afford Rent in San Francisco?

To keep Apartment List's August 2026 San Francisco median rent of $3,844 within 30% of gross income, the HUD affordability standard, a household would need about $154,000 a year; the $3,881 one-bedroom median needs about $155,000. Those figures cover rent alone, so utilities and other housing costs need additional room in the budget. For the broader budget, see our San Francisco cost of living guide.

How Much Has Rent in San Francisco Gone Up in the Past Year?

About $784 a month. Apartment List's estimates put San Francisco's overall median rent at about $3,060 in August 2025 and $3,844 in August 2026, an increase of 25.6%.

How Much Has Rent in San Francisco Gone Up Since 2020?

Compared with March 2020, San Francisco's median rent was 23.6% higher in August 2026 and the national median 19.7% higher, according to Apartment List, in dollar terms without adjusting for inflation. San Francisco's net change includes a 26.9% decline between February 2020 and January 2021 and the recovery since.

What Is the Difference Between San Francisco City and San Francisco Metro Rent?

The city figure covers San Francisco itself; the metro figure covers the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area, San Francisco included. In August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates, San Francisco's overall median of $3,844 was 28.8% above the metro's $2,985, and the gap was wider for one-bedrooms (44.3%) and two-bedrooms (45.5%). Because the metro figure includes the city, it says nothing on its own about what any one surrounding city costs.