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Living in San Francisco

San Francisco Apartments for Rent

map of San Francisco apartments for rent
87 Walk Score of San Francisco, CA 80 Transit Score of San Francisco, CA 72 Bike Score of San Francisco, CA

Cable cars are mostly for tourists, but the City by the Bay is easy to get around via BART, MUNI, and bus. Nob Hill and Pacific Heights have amazing views for a reason — those hills make San Francisco walkers stronger, but it’s still a great city for walking, no matter what your destination.

You can work in Silicon Valley at the tech giants — or at a smaller startup and still live in the city; it’s an easy commute via CalTrain. San Francisco has so much to offer — culture, art, and Golden Gate Park’s mash up of people. It's easy to live the walkable lifestyle in San Francisco.

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87 Walk Score of San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is Very Walkable

Most errands can be accomplished on foot.

Walk Score Map

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100
United States California San Francisco
Photo of Sutro Baths in San Francisco

Sutro Baths

Photo of Presidio San Francisco in San Francisco

Presidio San Francisco

San Francisco is the 2nd most walkable large city in the US with 805,235 residents.

San Francisco has excellent public transportation and is very bikeable.

Find apartments in San Francisco's most walkable neighborhoods: Chinatown, Tenderloin and Downtown-Union Square.

San Francisco Neighborhoods

Rank

#

Name

Walk Score

Transit Score

Bike Score

Population
1 Chinatown 100 100 70 8,646
2 Tenderloin 100 100 91 21,848
3 Downtown-Union Square 99 100 79 2,112
4 North Beach 99 95 75 10,684
5 Polk Gulch 99 95 78 5,096
6 Castro 99 95 74 2,219
7 Nob Hill 99 100 64 15,778
8 Lower Nob Hill 99 100 71 14,408
9 Japantown 99 90 81 3,118
10 Civic Center 99 100 98 3,237
11 Mint Hill 99 100 84 1,693
12 Financial District 99 100 84 810
13 Union Street 99 85 75 5,279
14 Hayes Valley 98 99 87 4,663
15 Mission Dolores 98 99 93 11,935
16 Cathedral Hill 98 98 82 6,245
17 Mission District 98 87 97 39,206
18 Lower Haight 98 98 84 7,355
19 Duboce Triangle 98 99 88 4,733
20 Northern Waterfront 97 99 84 2,406
21 Russian Hill 97 93 68 14,083
22 Telegraph Hill 97 95 64 3,080
23 Haight Ashbury 97 80 82 4,804
24 Alamo Square 97 90 81 3,067
25 Cole Valley 97 77 80 2,366
26 Lower Pacific Heights 97 81 80 6,145
27 South of Market 97 100 93 25,457
28 Western Addition 96 89 90 15,059
29 Pacific Heights 96 89 66 19,973
30 Dolores Heights 96 86 72 9,675
31 Panhandle 96 81 91 6,506
32 Inner Sunset 95 72 73 12,832
33 Fishermans Wharf 95 87 74 1,425
34 Laurel Heights-Jordan Park 94 78 79 3,778
35 Inner Richmond 94 77 86 24,154
36 Cow Hollow 94 77 68 3,258
37 Anza Vista 94 81 75 1,993
38 Corona Heights 93 92 63 2,011
39 Presidio Terrace 93 72 87 2,386
40 Marina District 93 76 90 12,435
41 Rincon Hill 93 100 67 4,112
42 Aquatic Park-Fort Mason 93 88 72 849
43 Buena Vista 92 88 71 5,964
44 Noe Valley 92 73 74 13,193
45 West Portal 92 79 66 3,756
46 Eureka Valley 91 85 64 6,782
47 Presidio Heights 91 76 75 4,219
48 Showplace Square 90 92 93 1,054
49 Ashbury Heights 90 77 66 3,072
50 Dogpatch 90 73 93 1,282
51 Lake Street 90 72 89 3,780
52 Lone Mountain 90 78 77 7,046
53 Bernal Heights 89 77 69 15,114
54 Potrero Hill 89 75 70 12,669
55 Cayuga 89 90 65 6,761
56 South Beach 88 100 83 5,044
57 Holly Park 88 78 73 4,222
58 Outer Richmond 88 72 71 28,410
59 Mission Bay 87 90 94 6,576
60 Stonestown 86 71 67 1,949
61 Peralta Heights 86 78 73 2,141
62 Silver Terrace 86 69 70 10,210
63 Mission Terrace 86 84 71 10,529
64 St. Francis Wood 85 78 64 1,317
65 Fairmount 85 80 70 3,963
66 Parnassus Heights 84 69 63 2,955
67 Excelsior 84 78 56 19,839
68 Bayview 84 64 68 12,897
69 Mt. Davidson Manor 83 73 58 1,607
70 Westwood Park 83 77 65 2,103
71 St. Marys Park 82 81 71 3,010
72 Outer Mission 82 80 53 7,918
73 Glen Park 81 80 65 3,218
74 Ingleside 81 80 57 10,250
75 Outer Sunset 81 62 76 53,301
76 Parkside 80 66 61 18,299
77 Seacliff 79 63 80 1,768
78 Ingleside Terraces 79 72 67 1,999
79 Sunnyside 78 79 62 6,805
80 Balboa Terrace 78 72 65 990
81 Parkmerced 77 66 69 10,161
82 Sutro Heights 77 67 61 3,134
83 Portola 76 68 60 14,411
84 Merced Manor 76 67 75 2,731
85 Golden Gate Heights 75 73 52 10,995
86 Bret Harte 75 63 55 5,398
87 Crocker Amazon 75 71 37 13,710
88 Diamond Heights 74 67 58 3,020
89 Oceanview 73 84 50 9,031
90 Merced Heights 71 79 47 5,997
91 Westwood Highlands 68 68 48 640
92 Visitacion Valley 68 66 49 13,360
93 Upper Market 66 64 62 4,283
94 Forest Hill 65 80 52 2,069
95 Laguna Honda 65 79 57 3,307
96 Monterey Heights 65 71 49 1,000
97 Sunnydale 62 61 47 4,107
98 Miraloma Park 58 68 53 4,558
99 Clarendon Heights 58 74 51 1,914
100 Little Hollywood 57 66 51 1,705
101 University Mound 54 66 48 4,694
102 Hunters Point 54 55 42 3,731
103 Sherwood Forest 51 71 41 1,663
104 Forest Knolls 49 69 44 1,798
105 McLaren Park 46 64 40 603
106 Midtown Terrace 44 74 44 1,699
107 Candlestick Point State Recreation Area 41 62 36 1,230
108 Presidio National Park 41 59 62 3,276
109 Lakeshore 40 52 58 3,541
110 Treasure Island 35 35 57 2,506

Moving to San Francisco from another city?

Average Home Features

According to HomeAdvisor Data, these characteristics make up the average home in San Francisco

Average square footage 1900
Homeowners have 2.9 bedrooms
Homeowners have 2.1 bathrooms
Age of home 48 years
Average time living in home 16 years

Check out HomeAdvisor’s San Francisco Home Happiness Survey.

thumbnail for Sutro BathsAwesome view of men fishing on the rocks off of the Sutro Baths. It's an amazing site to see these guys on these rocks because they are completely surrounded by ocean water. #SutroBaths, #SanFrancisco, #fishing, #PacificOcean

Norma and Kyle - BLU DOT Realty Group
on Sutro Baths

80 Transit Score of San Francisco, CA

San Francisco has Excellent Transit

Transit is convenient for most trips. Find San Francisco apartments for rent near public transit.

Public Transit Routes

San Francisco has excellent public transportation and about 76 bus, 8 subway, 4 light rail and 3 ferry lines.

Transit Time

The map above shows how far you can travel in 30 minutes from San Francisco on public transit.

Neighborhood Guides

Thinking of renting an apartment or buying in San Francisco? Ask our neighborhood guides a question.

Alex Ballete

Ask Alex about San Francisco

Photo of Billy Goat Hill Park in San Francisco

Billy Goat Hill Park

Photo of Adam Rodgers Park in San Francisco

Adam Rodgers Park

Photo of Bayview Park in San Francisco

Bayview Park

Norma and Kyle - BLU DOT Realty Group

Burbank, Ca is awesome & that's why it’s all about promoting & sharing this great city and state. We live, love and sell California. So reach out & let us know how we can help you learn more about our wonderful & beautiful State of California. There’s no better choice then Cali, & Burbank - The Media Capital of The World. We're here to help you experience all that is Burbank, Ca. and our wonderful state.

Ask Norma about San Francisco

http://www.BLUDOTRealtyGroup.com »

Photo of Sutro Baths in San Francisco

Sutro Baths

Photo of Presidio San Francisco in San Francisco

Presidio San Francisco

Photo of 39 Pier 39 Concourse in San Francisco

39 Pier 39 Concourse

72 Bike Score of San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is Very Bikeable

Biking is convenient for most trips.

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100
Bike
Score

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What's It Like to Live in San Francisco?

Photo of 39 Pier 39 Concourse in San Francisco

39 Pier 39 Concourse

Photo of Billy Goat Hill Park in San Francisco

Billy Goat Hill Park

Photo of Dianne Feinstein Elementary School in San Francisco

Dianne Feinstein Elementary School

Photo of McCoppin Square in San Francisco

McCoppin Square

Overview

San Francisco is, simply put, a beautiful city. There are hilltop views, that red-orange bridge spanning the Bay, foggy coastline, parks full of big trees and world class museums, vibrant, diverse neighborhoods… if the fates have decided you are to live in San Francisco, you are lucky indeed.

The city is located at the top of a peninsula that’s bordered on one side by the San Francisco Bay and on the other by the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge crosses the water to the north into Marin County, the Bay Bridge goes east to Oakland. All that nearby water is partly to blame for San Francisco’s famous fog and their cold days in August, but when the sun is shining in the city, there’s hardly a better place to be.

Culturally, San Francisco is a terrific mix of communities. There are large Hispanic and Asian communities – the oldest Chinatown in North America is in San Francisco. As you’d expect in a city that’s historically significant in the struggle for gay rights, there’s a big LGBT population as well.

San Francisco is a hub for high tech jobs -- Airbnb is here, Craigslist, Twitter, Yelp, and dozens of other new media giants. Wells Fargo Bank has their headquarters here, as does film and special effects icon Industrial Light and Magic. The well respected environmental group, The Sierra Club has offices in San Francisco, and microloan company Kiva. Startups appear on the San Francisco skyline on a regular basis, attracted by the cities smart residents, proximity to Stanford and Berkeley universities, and because San Francisco is a great place to live. Be aware, though, all this interest in San Francisco has driven up real estate prices – for buyers and renters – and affordable apartments in the city are becoming harder to find.

That said, you’d be hard pressed to find a place in San Francisco that doesn’t have everything you need within walking distance – shopping, restaurants, great cafes and bars, and public transit. You’ll find a walkable life in San Francisco is very easy to achieve.

Photo of Adam Rodgers Park in San Francisco

Adam Rodgers Park

Photo of Bayview Park in San Francisco

Bayview Park

Getting Around

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the greater Bay Area’s commuter rail system; it runs under much of San Francisco, out to the East Bay, and south to the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). CalTrain is popular with 49er’s fans because there’s a stop near the stadium, but the train runs regular service all the way down the peninsula to Gilroy, with stops in San Jose, Palo Alto, San Bruno (for airport connections) and lots of places in-between. MUNI runs streetcars and bus service – they’ve got some classic trolleys in their fleet that are real head-turners. MUNI is also responsible for the city’s famous cable cars. There’s ferry service to Oakland, Alameda, Vallejo, and a few other stops around the Bay.

It takes a sturdy pair of legs to commute by bicycle in this hilly city, but there are bike routes all around the city. The route map, published by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, includes information about how steep, exactly, that hill is, so you can plan your ride accordingly.

The city participates in Bay Area Bike Share; there are more than two dozen bike share stations mostly in neighborhoods where the hills aren’t quite so challenging.

There are car share services too – ZipCar, Turo, Getaround, all operate in San Francisco. Given that you’ll probably have to pay extra for parking in San Francisco, and that it’s almost always a challenge to find a spot, you may find that joining a car share beats out owing a car.

And San Francisco proper – while very dense – is simply not that big. Committed pedestrians are likely to find that they’re happy to walk everywhere they go.

thumbnail for Presidio San FranciscoThis is the view from the Golden Gate Bridge. The Presidio of San Francisco is a park and former military base on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco. It has 1480 acres and more than 500 historic buildings. This is the view from the Golden Gate Bridge. Nice open spaces, the park is dog friendly, perfect place for a picnic and just getting away from it all. #SanFrancisco, #PresidioPark, #Parks, #MilitaryFort, #Walking, #Jogging, #Nature, #Picnics, #HistoricalBuildings, #Museum

Norma and Kyle - BLU DOT Realty Group
on Presidio San Francisco

Neighborhoods

With so much new development in San Francisco, nearly every neighborhood in the city is a great place to live.

SOMA (South of Market) near the CalTrain station used to be gritty warehouses and a few edgy bars; now many of those warehouses have been converted into loft style apartments and condos. There are lots of studios here, and some larger one and two bedroom units, some of them have done cool up-cycling with the materials, like refinishing the original timber floors or sandblasting the exposed brick. There are now major chain supermarkets in SOMA, too, so residents needn’t go far for the basics.

Nob Hill and Russian Hill have long been two of the city’s swankiest neighborhoods. Here you’ll find classic Victorians that have been divided into apartments without compromising on the architecture details. Some of them are larger units with three and four bedrooms, hardwood floors, leaded glass windows, built in cabinets, but they’ll also have completely modern kitchens with brand new appliances. There is no need to sacrifice on walkability here, you’re never more than a few minutes from a bus stop or market.

Photo of Bayview Park in San Francisco

Bayview Park

Photo of Saint Paul's Catholic Church in San Francisco

Saint Paul's Catholic Church

Photo of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco

Grace Cathedral

Photo of Java Beach Cafe in San Francisco

Java Beach Cafe

The Castro is the nexus for San Francisco’s gay community and it’s also seeing lots of development. There are some attractive old row houses here, three story walkups. Nearby Haight Ashbury has similar housing, classic style walkups with bay windows that face the street, rooms divided with pocket doors, and plenty of great street life right outside your front door. The Mission district used to be considered not such a great place to live, but now there are brand new luxury condos on Delores Street, and you’re never far from a place that serves up the famous Mission burrito.

And that’s just a few of the better known city neighborhoods. Sunset has great ocean facing views, Pacific Heights has more of those gorgeous San Francisco style homes, North Beach is full of delicious Italian restaurants and home to one of the world’s best book stores, City Lights… it’s hard to go wrong when picking a neighborhood in San Francisco.

Find great apartments in San Francisco on Walk Score and join the 57% of San Francisco residents that rent their homes. Bay area living is known for its eclectic vibe and job opportunities abound in this hot technology market. Whether you’re looking for a Nob Hill home, or an apartment in one of San Francisco's hippest neighborhoods.

Walk Score helps you find walkable San Francisco home rentals. Need more square footage, or one of the view apartments over San Francisco Bay? Search for cheap San Francisco studio apartments by commute time. Search for two bedroom apartments to rent near a BART line, or one bedroom apartments near a MUNI stop and find a happy commute to live and work in San Francisco.

thumbnail for 39 Pier 39 ConcourseThe sea lions camped out in PIER 39′s West Marina have been endearingly coined The PIER’s “Sea Lebrities.” The boisterous pinnipeds started arriving in droves in January 1990, shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. #Pier39, #SanFrancisco, #SoManyTimesToSeeInSanFrancisco, #WeLoveSanFrancisco

Norma and Kyle - BLU DOT Realty Group
on 39 Pier 39 Concourse

San Francisco is Talking About...

beer coffee movie bar china town food car drink play walk lunch dinner san fran california video team party breakfast pride eat

San Francisco is all about:

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Photo of Ocean Beach - Sloat Ave in San Francisco

Ocean Beach - Sloat Ave

Photo of Ocean Beach - Sloat Ave in San Francisco

Ocean Beach - Sloat Ave

thumbnail for Billy Goat Hill ParkThe famous (or infamous) Rope Swing of Billy Goat Hill Park. The initial 5 feet from the ground swing can easily turn into a 15-20+ foot drop. Not for faint of heart. But you can get really cool photos with the city background as you swing.

Alex Ballete
on Billy Goat Hill Park

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