San Francisco Renters are Working Through the Weekend and Still Barely Making Rent

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27, 2017

In 2017, there were 260 workdays, but the typical San Francisco renter earning the median income had to work 265 days in order to have enough money to pay rent this year. The median annual income in San Francisco is $51,780, while the median monthly rent is $4,398 per month, or $52,770 per year. This means San Francisco renters are putting more money toward rent than they make in an entire year. Nationally, 13 percent of renters report living with roommates to offset these high costs.ⁱ

The trend is more pronounced for San Francisco renters making less than the city's median income. For example, retail salespeople and baristas would have to work over 500 days per year in order to afford the median rental in San Francisco, and teachers would have to work 354 days. Software developers, on the other hand, work less than half the average time -- just 112 days -- to earn enough to pay rent for the year.

"There's only so many hours in a year, and unfortunately, a lot of San Francisco renters are spending all of them working so they can afford to live in the city," said Douglas Pope, co-founder and general manager of HotPads. "By dedicating so much of their income to rent, renters don't have much room to afford other living expenses, let alone save for a rainy day. Renters looking for more affordable rents may need to migrate further away from the center of the city or consider doubling up with roommates or family."

Financial experts recommend renters dedicate at most one-third of their monthly income toward a rental payment, but even renters who are comfortable spending half their paycheck on rent still have few options within the city.

Graphic designers who put half their paycheck (median annual income of $65,210) toward the median rent can afford to live alone in just three San Francisco neighborhoods: the Outer Mission, Downtown, and the Tenderloin. San Francisco's software developers, however, can afford to live solo and pay the median rent in all but three neighborhoods -- Sea Cliff, Corona Heights and Miraloma Park -- if they put half their paycheck toward rent.

HotPads is a Zillow Group owned apartment and home search platform for renters in urban areas across the United States. For more information on San Francisco's rental market, visit HotPads.com.