Why Finding an Apartment in SF Is Way Easier Than Finding a House

One of the most common things I hear from people moving to San Francisco—especially from places like Texas, the suburbs of New York, or anywhere in the Midwest—is: “I want a house with a backyard.” I get it. If that’s what you’re used to, it’s what feels like home. But here’s the reality: San Francisco is an apartment city, and trying to find a standalone house here, especially one with your own private backyard, is a completely different game.

The Numbers Tell the Story

San Francisco is only 47 square miles, and it’s one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. The vast majority of housing stock is multi-unit buildings—apartments, condos, flats in Victorian buildings, and in-law units. Single-family homes exist, but they make up a smaller share of the market than in almost any other major American city, and the ones that are available tend to come with price tags that start well above $1.5 million to buy. Renting a whole house is even rarer and often costs $5,000 to $8,000 or more per month.

Apartments, by contrast, are everywhere. There are tens of thousands of rental units across the city, from modern high-rises in SoMa to charming Victorian flats in the Haight. The supply is simply much larger, which means more options, more price points, and a much faster search process.

The Backyard Situation

Here’s the thing about backyards in San Francisco that surprises a lot of newcomers: even when a building has outdoor space, it’s almost always shared. Most multi-unit buildings in neighborhoods like the Mission, Noe Valley, or Pacific Heights have a common backyard or garden area that all tenants in the building can use. It’s nice, but it’s not yours.

True private backyards—the kind where you can set up a grill, let a dog run around, or plant a garden without asking anyone—are essentially limited to single-family homes, and those are concentrated in neighborhoods like the Sunset, the Richmond, the Excelsior, and parts of Bernal Heights. Even there, the yards are often modest by suburban standards. You’re looking at maybe 300 to 500 square feet of outdoor space, not a sprawling lawn.

Why Apartments Are the Smarter Play

Beyond availability, apartments in San Francisco have some real advantages that houses don’t. Most apartment buildings are located in more walkable, transit-connected neighborhoods. If you’re renting in Hayes Valley, the Mission, or North Beach, you can walk to restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores. Many of the neighborhoods where houses are available are quieter and more residential, which is great if that’s your vibe, but it often means you’re more car-dependent.

San Francisco also has some of the strongest tenant protections in the country. If you’re renting in a building built before 1979, you’re likely covered by rent control, which caps how much your landlord can raise your rent each year. This means that the longer you stay, the better your deal gets relative to market rates. Many longtime SF residents pay well below what a new tenant would, simply because they’ve been in their rent-controlled apartment for years.

Making It Work

If you’re coming to San Francisco with your heart set on a backyard, here’s my advice: be flexible. Look for apartments that have shared outdoor space, a rooftop deck, or proximity to one of SF’s incredible parks. Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, Buena Vista Park, and dozens of smaller neighborhood parks give you outdoor space that’s arguably better than any private backyard. Some of the best Sunday afternoons I’ve had in this city were spent at Dolores Park with a blanket and takeout from the taqueria down the street.

The apartment search itself is also just more practical. There are more units turning over, more price options, and you can move faster. In a market as competitive as San Francisco’s, speed matters. The best apartments go within days—sometimes hours—of becoming available, and having access to off-market listings before they hit the public sites can make the difference between landing your dream apartment and losing it.

That’s what Orry Club is built for. Our members find apartments through a private network, getting access to places before they’re listed publicly. In a city where the apartment game is the only game most people can realistically play, having an edge on the search is everything.