Eight Beach Houses You Can Rent for Less Than the Price of an SF Studio

Put your place on Airbnb. We're sending you to the tropics.

March 17, 2017 9:00 am

We all know that the cost of an apartment in S.F. — whether to buy or rent — is untenable at best.

You could complain. Or you could just check out these 10 rentals: All with wifi. All without shady landlords. All within walking distance of a beach, from Mexico’s Pacific Coast to the kitesurfing capital of Africa.

This is not a drill: you can rent these eight beach apartments, villas, “surfer shacks” and cottages right now — and some for less than half the average cost of a sunless closet in the Tenderloin. And these are the made-for-ease Airbnb rates, which we guarantee include a signficiant made-for-ease surcharge. Stick around and you’ll find something (probably much) cheaper.

Better get there before we do.

Location: Lombok, Indonesia
Title:Yoga retreat in the Jungle Close to the beach
Vibe: “The new Bali”
Distance from beach: 1 km
Rent: $934
Why here: Avoid the Bali crowds — digital nomads are everywhere you look — for one step closer to a quiet life on the ocean.

Location: Byron Bay, Australia
Title:Byron Garden Retreat
Vibe: Chakra massage in the morning, surfing at sundown
Distance from beach: 10-15 minute walk
Rent: $1,874
Why here: It’s our favorite beach town in Australia — look a few clicks south, to Suffolk Park, for cheaper rents and fewer people.

Location: Ko Tao, Thailand
Title:Spacious Beachfront Apartment
Vibe: The island without all the full-moon parties (but right next to it)
Distance from beach: It’s oceanfront
Rent: $1,515
Why here: The party-party crowd mostly heads to Ko Pha Ngan for the full moon parties — leaving Ko Tao quieter and more beautiful.

Location: Eagle Beach, Aruba
Title: Affordable studio near Eagle beach
Vibe: Eternal spring break with windsurfing
Distance from beach: 15-minute walk
Rent: $1,637
Why here: We can’t help it — we love Aruba. It’s easy, friendly and possessing of a surprising amount of desert.

Location: Sayulita, Mexico
Title:Sayulita Traveler/Surfer Shack
Vibe: “Gypset” neo-hippie enclave
Distance from beach: Five-minute walk
Rent: $1,340
Why here: A rich culture and a fun, dance-all-night/surf-all-day scene

Location: Essaouira, Morocco
Title:Essaouira Beach Apartment Pool 2
Vibe: 1970s Talitha Getty-esque retreat with Africa’s best kite surfing nearby
Distance from beach: Oceanfront
Rent: $886
Why here: It’s impossibly chic — and cheap. And the ocean sports are second to none.

Location: Hossegar, France
Title:Bel appartement au calme rdc villa
Vibe: Euro surf party
Distance from beach: 15 minutes by bike (pay more for a closer spot)
Rent: $842
Why here: It’s the center of European surfing and the long-distance Hamptons of Paris, where former men-about-town go to raise their kids — meaning it’s calm and cool at the same time.

Location: Goa, India
Title:Beautiful Old Portuguese Cottage
Vibe: Surf ‘n’ yoga ‘n’ peace ‘n’ quiet
Distance from beach: 10-minute walk
Rent: $1,495
Why here: There’s quite possibly nowhere better in the world to reconsider your priorities than in Goa.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.