Low Income Apartments and Affordable Housing For Rent in San Francisco, CA

Discover affordable housing in San Francisco where there are 355+ housing opportunities based on income and household needs like accessible units for seniors or persons with disabilities. Find and apply to these low income apartments now.

Lassen Apartments

441 Ellis Street, San Francisco, California 94102

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Natalie Gubb Commons

255 Fremont St, San Francisco, California 94105

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Sala Burton Manor

430 Turk St, San Francisco, California 94102

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Eddy Street Apartments

939-951 Eddy St, San Francisco, California 94109

bed Studio-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Alice Griffith Community

2700 Arelious Walker Dr, San Francisco, California 94124

bed 1-5
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Abel Gonzales

1045 Capp St, San Francisco, California 94110

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Mission Creek Senior Community

225 Berry St, San Francisco, California 94158

bed 1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Apartmentos De La Esperanza

3590 19th St, San Francisco, California 94110

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

Crescent Manor Apartments

467 Turk St, San Francisco, California 94102

bed Studio
payment Subsidized
accessibility Accessible

1100 Ocean Avenue

1100 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, California 94103

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
accessibility Accessible

Rosa Parks Apartments

1251 Turk St, San Francisco, California 94115

bed Studio-2
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Clementina Towers

320 Clementina St, San Francisco, California 94103

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

1036 Mission Street Apartments

1036 Mission Street, San Francisco, California

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

666 Ellis

666 Ellis St, San Francisco, California 94102

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers

Betel Apartments

1227 Hampshire St, San Francisco, California 94110

bed 2-4
payment Subsidized

Willie B. Kennedy Apartments

1239 Turk Street, San Francisco, California 94115

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait

Hunters View Phase 2B

901 Fairfax Avenue, San Francisco, California 94124

bed 1-3
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

Colosimo Apartments

3290 25th St, San Francisco, California 94110

bed 2
payment Subsidized

Presentation Senior Housing

301 Ellis St, San Francisco, California 94102

bed Studio-1
payment Subsidized
elderly Senior
accessibility Accessible

Leland Polk Senior Community

1315 Polk St, San Francisco, California 94109

bed Studio-1
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
accessibility Accessible

How To Identify Affordable Housing in San Francisco, California

Look for program and preference badges on affordable apartment listings. These badges can help you identify the types of low income housing each apartment offers and if you may be eligbile for rental assistance or reduced rents.

Badge Description
switch_access_shortcut Short Wait
Low income apartments with no or short waiting lists.
payment Subsidized
Low income housing where the rent is subsidized and the renter pays only a portion of total rent.
real_estate_agent Accepts Vouchers
Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers near you
elderly Senior
Rental housing for seniors who are 55 (or sometimes 62) and older.
payment Income Based
Affordable apartments where the rent paid is based on renter income.
accessibility Accessible
Meets Accessibilty Requirements of the Fair Housing Act, the ADA, or HUD policy.
accessible_forward Disability
Apartments for individuals or families with disabilities.
real_estate_agent Naturally Affordable
Naturally Occuring Affordable Housing - or NOAH - is any housing unit that offers affordable rent without participating in a rent subsidy program.
The Hourly Wage Needed to Afford A Safe, Modest 2 Bed Apartment In San Francisco, California
$63.62/hour
$47.62 (+298%) more than California minimum wage and $56.37 (+777%) more than the Federal minimum wage.
Learn More About San Francisco, California Affordable Housing ↓

What HUD offices serve San Francisco, California?

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Operates the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) programs for San Francisco, California.

Go to the California Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near San Francisco.

How many renters live in San Francisco, California?

The City of San Francisco has people living in households.

There are renters living in renter households in this City. Renters make up 52.75 percent of the population living in San Francisco.

What is the rental market like in San Francisco, California?

There are an estimated housing units in the San Francisco area. Of these, units are rental homes, making up percent of the housing market. For every renter household in San Francisco, California, there are 1.08 rental units.

What is the vacancy rate for rentals in San Francisco?

The rental vacancy rate in San Francisco is 6 percent. This is a lower than average vacancy rate. When rental vacancy rates are low there are fewer available units. Rents tend to be higher as more people compete for scarce housing.

How many rental units are in San Francisco for each bedroom size?

Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Francisco
Studio One-Bedroom Two-Bedroom Three-Bedroom Four+ Bedrooms
44,588 78,439 60,308 26,871 7,635
Occupied Rental Units by Size in San Francisco

A large number of apartments in San Francisco have two or fewer bedrooms. Seniors and young professionals especially may have more success finding an apartment that meets their needs.

How Much Is Rent in San Francisco

Depending on size, the Fair Market Rent - HUDs measurement of the cost of an average housing unit - ranges from $2,292 to $4,473. FMRs are updated annually by HUD for every city and county nationwide.

Bed Size 2024 Fair Market Rents
Studio $2,292
One BR $2,818
Two BR $3,359
Three BR $4,112
Four BR $4,473
2024 Fair Market Rents in San Francisco, California

How many units are rented at Fair Market Rent (FMR) in San Francisco?

Renters with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher must select a home that is at or below the area’s Fair Market Rent. Markets with a large share of units above FMR tend to have longer search times to find a qualified unit, while those with a large share of units below FMR tend to have more choices and shorter search times. The share below FMR can vary by size of unit, as shown in the table below.

These are the approximate number of units renting below the FMR in this market:

Unit Size Count of Units Below FMR Percentage of Total Units Below FMR
Studio 21,689 49 percent
One BR 22,147 28 percent
Two BR 8,329 14 percent
Rental Units Below FMR in San Francisco, California

How many affordable rental units are in San Francisco?

There are a variety of federal affordable housing programs serving households in San Francisco, California including the following:

Federal Program Unit Count
Low Income Housing Tax Credit
Public Housing
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
Mod Rehab Project-Based Rental Assistance
Section 236 Rental Assistance
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Tracked Units by Federal Program in San Francisco, California

Rental units may be funded in part by multiple federal programs.

Income Based Apartments in San Francisco, California

San Francisco features 15,919 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in San Francisco, California

There are 12,528 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in San Francisco.

Housing Choice Vouchers in San Francisco, California

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay San Francisco landlords $1,900 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $500 towards rent in San Francisco.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in San Francisco, California for a two-bedroom apartment is between $3,023 and $3,695.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Email Signup
Don't Miss A Waiting List Opening