Finding a cheap hotel in San Francisco that doesn't trade safety or transit access for a lower rate takes some filtering. Every property on this list sits within the budget accommodation threshold for the city, holds a guest review score of 8.7 or higher, and connects you to Muni Metro or BART within a short walk. Ranked by typical nightly rate, then review score, these five picks give you the most room for your money without putting you in an inconvenient or unsafe part of the city.
How we picked these cheap San Francisco hotels
San Francisco's hotel market runs expensive. A clean, safe room with transit access sits at the mid-range of what most US lodging markets would call budget pricing, before the city's 14% hotel tax. Properties at the very low end of the price spectrum usually involve shared bathrooms or dormitory-style setups.
To build this list, we filtered the this list by four criteria in order: typical nightly rate in the budget range, guest review score of 8.7 or higher, walkable distance to a Muni Metro or BART station, and a neighborhood with reasonable safety and walkability scores. Amenities like rooftop bars and spas carry no weight here. What matters is whether you get a clean room, a safe block, and a transit stop close enough to reach without a rideshare.
We have a separate page for budget hotels with pools and for pet-friendly hotels in San Francisco if those filters matter to your trip.
