It's the same across the pond here in London - 9.5% increase between October 2013 and October 2014 Average rent is now £1411 (~$2200) http://homelet.co.uk/index.php/homelet-rental-index/greater-...
The benefit of living in London is that there is a super smooth gradient of rent decrease as you move further out in all directions, and there is reasonable commuter rail all the way. The downside of course is tiny rat-infested 150-year-old boxes remodeled 30 times since then, each time with a poorer job than the last. San Francisco has the upper hand here having burned to the ground more recently.
It's burned to the ground 108 years ago. Not THAT recent either...