Desperate SF renters are going viral. Their stories reveal a city at its limit. – SFGATE

Desperate SF renters are going viral. Their stories reveal a city at its limit.  SFGATE

Sonja Mihailovic had been looking for an apartment in San Francisco for six months when she decided she was fed up. She’d been in contact with at least 36 different places and “was just so angry.” That’s when her boyfriend encouraged her to share her story on Reddit. Her post, titled “This housing market is insane,” skyrocketed to more than 1.5 million views in just three days and prompted more than 1,000 comments. With SF rents up 25% since last year, it’s not hard to find a story like Mihailovic’s. As a scientist searching with her friend, a nurse, they have stable jobs with decent salaries, yet they can’t find a place to live that meets their needs.

They’re not looking for anything particularly fancy or novel, or even in a specific neighborhood, but every time they show up to view a place, at least 10 people are there, too, desperate to compete in a market that shows no sign of relenting. Rental prices started to climb in 2024, but in 2026, amid fervor from the artificial intelligence boom, the cost to rent a two-bedroom has topped $6,000 a month. It’s the first time that’s ever happened, according to rental marketplace Zumper. No city is experiencing anything quite like what’s going on in San Francisco when it comes to rents,