Where to Live in San Francisco: Districts Compared by Housing, Transit and Rules

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

The most practical way to choose where to live in San Francisco is to pick the kind of building first (a detached house, a Victorian or Edwardian flat, a TIC share or a condo) and then the rail line you want nearby: Muni Metro, BART or Caltrain. San Francisco is a single city and county, so rent, short-term rental and transfer tax rules are the same everywhere; what changes by district is the housing stock, the transit and the hazard maps.

This guide compares the ten MLS districts only by building types, rail access, citywide rules and ownership costs. It does not describe residents, safety or schools, and gives no prices or market statistics. For listings, start on our San Francisco homes page.

One jurisdiction, ten MLS districts

Because San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, there is no "city or unincorporated" question as there is in Marin or Sonoma. One planning department, one building department, one Rent Board and one assessor-recorder cover every address, and the SFPUC provides water and sewer service, so wells and septic rarely come up. The ten MLS districts group neighborhoods for searching; they are not legal boundaries, and no rule in this guide changes at a district line.

District-by-district comparison

The housing column is our general overview of building types listed in each district; check the year built and unit count for any specific property. The rail column lists rail stops named on the SFMTA’s Muni Metro stop list, BART’s station list and Caltrain’s station list.

District	Common housing types	Rail within the district
SF District 1 real estate	Edwardian flats and houses, small apartment buildings, larger detached homes in Sea Cliff and Lake Street	No Muni Metro, BART or Caltrain stop
SF District 2 real estate	Single-family tract houses built mostly 1925–1950; flats and small apartments on transit streets	N Judah (Judah St.), L Taraval (Taraval St.)
SF District 3 real estate	Detached houses in planned tracts; apartment and condo complexes near Stonestown	M Ocean View (19th Ave., Stonestown, SF State, Broad St.); K Ingleside (Ocean Ave.)
SF District 4 real estate	Detached houses in residence parks and on hillsides; condos and townhomes in Diamond Heights	West Portal and Forest Hill stations (K, L, M); St. Francis Circle (K, M)
SF District 5 real estate	Victorians and Edwardians, two- and three-unit flats, TICs, hillside houses	Castro and Church stations; J Church; N Judah (Duboce, Cole Valley); Glen Park BART
SF District 6 real estate	Victorian houses and flats, apartment buildings, condos and TICs	Van Ness and Civic Center stations at the district’s edge
SF District 7 real estate	Victorians and Edwardians, flats, condo-converted buildings, detached houses	No Muni Metro, BART or Caltrain stop
SF District 8 real estate	High-rise and mid-rise condos, co-ops, apartment buildings, flats and TICs on the hills	Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell and Civic Center (BART and Muni Metro); T Third at Chinatown-Rose Pak and Union Square
SF District 9 real estate	Victorian cottages and flats; lofts and newer condo towers in SoMa, South Beach and Mission Bay	16th St. and 24th St. BART; N and T on King St.; Caltrain San Francisco (4th and King) and 22nd Street
SF District 10 real estate	Detached and row houses on small lots; newer construction at Hunters Point and Candlestick	T Third (to Sunnydale); Balboa Park BART (with J and K); Bayshore Caltrain just south of the city line

Housing stock: Victorians, Edwardians, flats, TICs and condos

San Francisco’s housing types sort roughly by when each part of the city was built out. The older districts north and east of Twin Peaks hold most of the city’s Victorian and Edwardian houses and flats, many of them now owned as condos or tenancies in common. Our Victorian and Edwardian homes guide covers what to inspect in those buildings, and our TIC guide explains how shared ownership, fractional loans and condo conversion work.

West of Twin Peaks, the Planning Department’s Sunset District historic resource survey describes the Sunset as developed largely from the mid-1920s into the post-war years by builder-developers working in residential tracts, with single-family houses from 1925 to 1950 in Period Revival, Mediterranean Revival and Streamline Moderne styles. Districts 3 and 4 add planned residence parks and hillside streets of detached houses.

Condos dominate downtown, SoMa, South Beach and Mission Bay; see our San Francisco condos page and, for buildings with amenities and staff, luxury condos. Comparing a house with a flat? See our District 5 house-versus-flat comparison. Two categories need their own checks: unwarranted units and below-market-rate (BMR) homes, which carry resale and occupancy restrictions.

Rent control follows the building, not the district

For a multi-unit building, a tenant-occupied flat or a future rental, the building’s date and type matter more than its neighborhood. According to the city’s guide to San Francisco rental laws, many residential units built on or before June 13, 1979 have both rent increase limits and eviction protections. Units built after that date, units that underwent substantial rehabilitation, and most single-family homes and condos where the tenant moved in on or after January 1, 1996 generally have eviction protections only. The same page uses a slightly different wording of the cutoff in one place, so confirm a specific unit with a Rent Board counselor. The Rent Board sets the annual allowable increase each year; check the current figure before you underwrite rents.

Our San Francisco multifamily page covers investor questions, and our guide to buying a tenant-occupied property explains what to request from the seller.

Short-term rentals

San Francisco’s rules are citywide. The Planning Department’s short-term rental FAQ says you must be the permanent resident, living in the unit at least 275 nights a calendar year, and un-hosted stays are capped at 90 nights a calendar year. Hosts need a business registration certificate and an Office of Short-Term Rentals certificate, and may register only the unit where they live. BMR units are never eligible, and legally established ADUs and junior ADUs may be rented only for 30 days or longer. See also our California short-term rental guide.

Hazard maps to check for any address

Three maps matter most, and our San Francisco hazard maps guide explains how to read each one.

Stormwater flooding. The SFPUC’s 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map shows parcels likely to see deep stormwater flooding in a 100-year storm; city law requires sellers and landlords to disclose when a property is in that zone. It does not cover bay, ocean or lake flooding.
Soft-story buildings. Check the city’s Soft-Story Properties inventory, then obtain the building’s retrofit permits, inspection sign-offs and any outstanding notices. The city dataset records compliance tiers and property status. A condominium or TIC ownership arrangement does not itself show that the building’s seismic work was completed; review the building-wide evidence.
Seismic and liquefaction zones. These state maps are covered in the natural hazard disclosure; our hazard maps guide shows how to look up a parcel.

Ownership costs: the transfer tax

San Francisco charges one transfer tax, with no separate city tax on top of a county tax. The city’s transfer tax page lists rates per $500 of value, applied to the entire price once a tier is reached:

Entire value or consideration	Rate per $500
More than $100 up to $250,000	$2.50
More than $250,000, under $1,000,000	$3.40
$1,000,000 to under $5,000,000	$3.75
$5,000,000 to under $10,000,000	$11.25
$10,000,000 to under $25,000,000	$27.50
$25,000,000 or more	$30.00

These are the rates posted at review in November 2026; check the current schedule before you budget. Our San Francisco transfer tax guide covers who customarily pays and common exemptions, and selling requirements lists the city’s point-of-sale items. Plan for a supplemental tax bill after closing.

Neighborhood pages by district

Treasure Island real estate has its own page.

Choosing a short list

Pick the building type.
Pick the rail line you want within reach.
If there will be tenants, confirm the construction date and Rent Board status.
Check the flood, soft-story and seismic maps for each address.

When you have a short list, we can pull records and listings; start on our San Francisco buyer page, use our property evidence checklist, or contact us.

Questions people ask

How many MLS districts does San Francisco have?

Ten. They group the city’s neighborhoods for listing searches but are not legal boundaries; San Francisco’s rules apply the same way in every district.

Which San Francisco districts have BART stations?

District 8 (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center), District 9 (16th St. and 24th St. Mission), District 5 (Glen Park) and District 10 (Balboa Park, at the line with District 3).

Where does Caltrain stop in San Francisco?

At the San Francisco station at 4th and King and at 22nd Street, both in District 9. Bayshore station sits just south of the city line near Visitacion Valley.

Is my San Francisco condo rent controlled?

Most condos and single-family homes have eviction protections but no rent increase limits when the tenant moved in on or after January 1, 1996. Confirm a specific unit with the Rent Board.

Can I buy a second home in San Francisco and rent it short term?

No. Hosts must be permanent residents living in the unit at least 275 nights a year, and un-hosted stays are capped at 90 nights a year.

Does San Francisco have a city transfer tax on top of the county tax?

No. San Francisco is one city and county with a single tiered transfer tax, from $2.50 to $30.00 per $500 depending on the price.

What is the 100-Year Storm Flood Risk Map?

An SFPUC map of parcels likely to see deep stormwater flooding in a 100-year storm. Sellers and landlords must disclose when a property is in the zone.

Sources & notes

Notes: The "common housing types" column is our general overview of building types listed in each district, not an official classification; check the year built, unit count and legal use for the specific property. District 10’s southern stations sit at or near district lines. Soft-story compliance deadlines vary by tier and were not restated here; check the building’s status with the Department of Building Inspection. The annual allowable rent increase changes each year and was not restated. Rules change; verify before you buy.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Updated November 2026. Primary sources are linked in this guide.

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