68fit
#1Mission
$2K ACS median rent
Valencia corridor, Mission murals, and a density that never sleeps. The official analysis neighborhood is just Mission — search the street names.
- Walk index
- 86
- Safety index
- 11
- Published fit
- 68
Nightlife
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San Francisco neighborhoods with median rent under $2,500
Every official San Francisco analysis neighborhoods whose ACS median rent still sits at or under $2,500. Then we rank what’s left. A median is not this week’s one-bedroom.
First we drop every official analysis neighborhood whose ACS median rent is over $2,500. Then we rank what is left like the walkable list. The cut is five years of survey mixed across unit sizes — not the one-bedroom in the window.
6 of 20
Data period. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · SFPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026. ACS and SFPD retrieved 2026-09-01; OSM retrieved 2026-09-01. Editorial copy last revised Sep 2026.
The ranking
Top 6 of 20 official analysis neighborhoods. Same order for every reader. Fit is a number inside San Francisco only.
| # | Neighborhood | Fit | Rent | Schools | Safety | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission | 68 | $2,494 | 27 | 11 | 86 |
| 2 | Nob Hill | 64 | $2,106 | 23 | 37 | 73 |
| 3 | Outer Richmond | 53 | $2,371 | 67 | 89 | 26 |
| 4 | North Beach | 43 | $2,356 | 33 | 42 | 23 |
| 5 | Western Addition | 37 | $2,077 | 33 | 32 | 15 |
| 6 | South of Market | 33 | $2,100 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Stuck between these two? Mission vs Nob Hill
64fit
#2Nob Hill
$2K ACS median rent
Cable cars, hotel bars, and a ridge between Chinatown and Pac Heights. Dense without SoMa's warehouse scale.
- Walk index
- 73
- Safety index
- 37
- Published fit
- 64
Nightlife
Stuck between these two? Nob Hill vs Outer Richmond
53fit
#3Outer Richmond
$2K ACS median rent
The last grid before the Pacific. Cheaper than Inner Richmond, foggier, and a bus ride from everywhere else.
- Walk index
- 26
- Safety index
- 89
- Published fit
- 53
Family streetsWaterfront
Stuck between these two? Outer Richmond vs North Beach
43fit
#4North Beach
$2K ACS median rent
Caffe Trieste, Columbus Avenue, and Telegraph Hill stairs. Nightlife with a church bell still in earshot.
- Walk index
- 23
- Safety index
- 42
- Published fit
- 43
NightlifeWaterfront
Stuck between these two? North Beach vs Western Addition
37fit
#5Western Addition
$2K ACS median rent
Alamo Square, the Fillmore, and Japantown sit inside this analysis neighborhood. Painted ladies are the postcard; the grid is the product.
- Walk index
- 15
- Safety index
- 32
- Published fit
- 37
Stuck between these two? Western Addition vs South of Market
33fit
#6South of Market
$2K ACS median rent
Tech lofts, clubs, and a crime rate that downtown visitor traffic inflates. Walk scores max; evening quiet depends on the block.
- Walk index
- 24
- Safety index
- 0
- Published fit
- 33
NightlifePlanned
Common questions
Same list, said in questions. The numbers are in the table.
What does this San Francisco ranking actually measure?
Who still has an ACS median rent at or under $2,500, then who walks better among those. It is not a list of apartments you can rent tonight.
Why is Mission #1?
Mission survives the $2,500 ACS cut at $2,494 and then ranks on walk (86 vs 73 in Nob Hill). Nob Hill is $2,106 — still under the line.
How is this different from the walkable list?
Same errand weights as the walkable list, then a hard cut at $2,500 ACS median rent. If the median is over the line, the area never shows up — even if it walks well.
Why isn't Hayes Valley on this list?
Hayes Valley never enters. ACS median rent is $2,636, over the $2,500 line, so the ranking never sees it. That line is a survey median, not this week’s asking rent.
Can I compare a San Francisco score to another city?
No. Hyde Park in Austin is not Hyde Park in Chicago. A 72 here is a rank inside this city’s official analysis neighborhoods, not a grade you can carry across a state line.
What does rent mean on this list?
ACS median gross rent among these 6 areas runs $2,077 to $2,494. Five-year survey, studios through large apartments mixed together — not a listing you can message tonight.
Everyone sees this order so the list is arguable. Set your own weights · Method.