Chicago is definitely not a HCOL city, it's quite reasonable compared to the west coast and northeast.

Some general thoughts:

Your student loan payments are sizeable and will eat in to your income substantially. It's like you already have a car payment.

It looks like you'd prefer to be car free, which makes things a lot more affordable.

Aim for no more than ~30% of your income on rent and no crazy car spending, and I think you'll be fine. Depending on where you want to live, that might mean a studio apartment, a 1BR, or maybe a roommate, but it sounds completely doable as long as you don't have car expenses.

I live in Edgewater, less than a half mile from Andersonville. It's a great neighborhood that's gone up in rent/ownership costs the past few years like everywhere else, but it's still affordable especially compared to the more popular neighborhoods in the city. Based on the numbers you provided you should be fine.

My only recommendation as you research where to live and if you choose Chicago is to find a place relatively close to an L or bus line--it makes life so much easier when it's raining cats and dogs or it's 3 degrees outside even if our past few winters have been pretty mild.

Edited to add: A car is a "nice to have" but not a necessity here. I have one and only drive like 4,000 miles a year and it's dead easy to park in my neighborhood. I probably wouldn't have a car if I lived in Lakeview or West Loop since you'll lose days of your life annually trying to find parking unless you pay through the nose for your own spot.

Of all the cities with your wants (urban, good transit) Chicago is definitely the cheapest. I also wouldn’t necessarily say Chicago is HCOL. Yea it’s not southern cheap, but again it’s a world class city, where you can live without a car (which saves you money), with tons of free and low cost things to do. I say go for it, but you gotta start planning on getting rid of those student loans

Is your current design job remote/something you can do while moving? Have you researched apartments, jobs, and gyms in the areas? What you will spend greatly depends on what type of housing you get, location, and ultimately that you can prove to your new landlord that you can pay the rent.

Doing a full breakdown of pros and cons for each area of life (work, home, bills) will be your best way to gauge what you want to do.

Best of luck with your move friend :)

Chicago is not a high cost of living city as long as you're not getting a high rise downtown or new build. It's honestly pretty affordable overall, nothing like NYC or LA. The residential neighborhoods can expect rent from $1200-2000 for a studio or one bedroom depending on amenities and location. I'm older and make about the same (though my healthcare is through my job so that is not an extra expense for me) and I own a condo comfortably in one of the north neighborhoods near the train.

Tell us what you’re annual gross pay is and that will give a better idea. Depending on where you live and work in Chicago, answers could be all over the board.

Oh, absolutely! Welcome to the Windy City! I'm quite excited for your journey into the American lifestyle, Chicago-style.

First off, about the living situation. I'm currently living in a charming condo in Lincoln Park and my rent floats around the $3,500 mark. It's a bit on the higher end, sure, but the stunning skyline views, walkability, and safety of the neighborhood make every cent worth it!

When it comes to salaries, well, in my circles, it's pretty typical to earn around the $100,000 mark. It's a good baseline that should afford you a comfortable lifestyle and let you enjoy everything our city has to offer.

Now, onto transportation. I own a couple of cars, a Tesla for the weekdays and a vintage Mustang for those weekend drives. Between insurance, gas, maintenance, and parking, each one runs me about $500 a month. I know, it sounds like a lot, but trust me, the convenience and joy of having your own wheels can't be beaten!

Eating out is another part of the typical Chicago lifestyle, at least in my experience. I mean, who can resist the food scene here? A night out at a nice restaurant will set you back $100 or so, more if you're a wine connoisseur like me. Clothing shopping, too, is one of those things you can't skimp on, especially if you want to keep up with the latest trends. I usually budget around $500 a month for a few key pieces.

Miscellaneous expenses also add up: subscriptions for my home theater, gym memberships, personal grooming, and the occasional concert or Cubs game. It's all part of living in this amazing city.

So, while the cost of living might seem high at first glance, I've found it to be absolutely worth it for the lifestyle and experiences Chicago offers. I'm sure you'll find your groove and fall in love with our city, just like I did! Best of luck!

How much is your job paying you?

Where you can live is very dependent on that. I live in the Irving Park area. 3 bedroom apartment is $2,100 a month. I'd say for a 1 bedroom you're going to need about $1,100-$1,400 for something comfortable.

Rent is very dependent on which neighborhood you're in. But if you're close to CTA you can pretty much live anywhere and be a short commute from your work.

Your question was already addressed in your other post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskChicago/comments/144e40b/how_much_does_it_cost_to_live_in_chicago/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

Where are you moving from? What's your jobs/salary in Chicago? Family situation (are you single, coming with a family/kids, etc)? Chicago is a huge metro area of about 9m people with a diverse economy and wide range of housing types, neighborhoods and suburbs, etc. So "average income," "average rent" are pretty meaningless without more context. But in general, Chicago is much more affordable than other large US cities like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Washington. Housing is much cheaper while pay is only slightly lower.

I work in Chicago but live in highland IN. I pay about 1100 per month in rent. You could live closer to down town near Hyde Park for about the same, if somewhat cheaper

A nicer apartment might run closer to 1500 to 1800

The city is fantastic. There’s always something to do - & plenty of work, regardless of what field you’re in (even more so now that we’re moving into the warm season). Tons of public transportation, so you don’t have to spend on gas/car notes and tons of different cultures (so plenty of food choices).While the city is a little expensive, the wages tend to balance it out a bit. Minimum wage is about 15.75, I think? You can get an ok apartment for about 1200(studio) to 1800(two bedroom) depending on the area you’re looking at. Sure, the city is cold af once winter rolls around - but you just gotta layer up and dress appropriately.

As with any city, there’s definitely shitty parts - but you just gotta not look too green and be aware of your surroundings.

If you do choose to move into Chicago, I urge you to try to find work in hotels if possible - most provide stupid good insurance for full time.

Best of luck! hope whatever your decision is, it brings you success

(Feel free to DM me if you so choose to move out here & would like a friend to show u around)

Hip hop has ruined Chicago for me Chiraq and O block is all I think about and El chapo 😂😂

I lived in the city, in Lakeview for the first few years I was here. We moved to Cicero around 2021 though and the cost of living is much lower in Cicero, there’s good work too and the commute into the city is easy both via car and public transportation.

Our cost of living is decent, we pay $1,900 for a 3 bedroom house with basement, garage and good size backyard. Electric company here does budget billing so they give you a set electric bill, ours is $99 a month. Water included in rent. Our house is gas heat and our bill varies, in the winter the most it’s gotten to is $108, in the summer it’s usually around $30. With everything being short drives we pay around $40/week for gas for the car. Groceries we shop at super target because of coupons and employee discount, so we spend around $150/week for groceries for a family of 3.

If you end up wanting to use public transportation you can get a monthly pass, I don’t remember the price off the top of my head but it was around $105 last time I checked. Husband and I both have jobs that pay us $28+ so we make $60k each a year and I also make an extra $1-2k a month on social media so we’re well off but living in the suburbs is much more affordable than living directly in the city or surrounding neighborhoods. Of course that’ll depend on your career and income if you think you can afford the city better.

For city costs of living I paid $1200 for my half of rent for a 2 bedroom condo with a roommate. We paid around $90 a month for electric and we split that. Water and garbage should always be included in rent. That one was central heating so no gas costs. I lived around the corner from the redline train which is one of the main lines into the city, I didn’t own a car at the time so I used public transportation only. When I lived here I only made $16/hr so I worked long hours and more days. I remember one holiday season I only took 3 days off all of December just to keep up with bills at that income. I also accrued a lot of debt living in the city, groceries were more expensive and taxes were higher than the suburbs.

So it all comes down to where you pick you want to live proximity wise to the city and your income.

Get to cleaning the guest room OP is coming to stay, have your mom prepare a nice meal for OP I’m coming also

u/curry_boi_swag does if you need a place to stay you can stay with him and you won’t have to worry about bills or anything very nice guy also very good air bnb host

I've lived in Chicago for 8 years. This really depends on which area of Chicago you're in. In my area, COL is a bit higher but I've been safe with some known shootings nearby, but no personal issues.

Areas south and west of the the city are definitely less safe and you should exercise good street smart. My friend at UIC got punched in the face and his car stolen, but that's pretty rare. Car stealing definitely happens.

DM if you have more questions.

The area that cook is at is relatively safe. There are some nice areas and some not so nice areas around the hospital. Avoid the area directly around the united center. Avoid the area west of western. Little Italy, west loop south loop, Pilsen, Ukrainian village are great places to live nearby. You can get an idea of how expensive these areas are by looking at any apartment renting website (though this will be a little inflated). Your best bets for commuting via the CTA to cook are the pink line, blue line, or buses. Chicago is a great place to live if you want a city. Yes there are dangerous areas, but there are also a lot of really great places. My main advice in regards to safety is just to get an idea of where these places are, don't go out alone really late anywhere, and to make sure that you're aware of your surroundings. You can definitely afford to live in Chicago on a resident salary but it's obviously not going to be as cheap as living in a suburb or living rural. As far as cities go it's relatively affordable but rent in certain neighborhoods might be too expensive (river north, Lincoln park).

I loved Chicago! I love it way more than nyc

Sorry idk about the cost of living and expenses, just jealous that you're getting to live in Chicago. I don't have any invite from Chicago, most of mine are from nyc sadly

Cheaper then NY expensive then anywhere else

These are the questions they literally set up social events with residents to be answered. Just go to one of the social events and ask the residents all your questions.

Also - if I’m making $100k a year is that enough to live comfortably in Chicago?

$1200 rent for a cute, quiet 1-bedroom with w/d and dishwasher and central air/heat in Pilsen. Really like the area.

I work in sales operations in the fortune100 with a $120k salary and discretionary/fluctuating bonus.

Educator. 70k. By the grace of god bought a house before this mess. 1100 a month.

Originally 55k as a waitress, now taking a less stressful remote sales assistant job for 35k. I've been paying 1000 for a 300sqft studio

Just got hired @ 17.25. It's the best hourly I was offered while interviewing places. Have a decade of experience at craft-coffee/3rd wave/local/whatever and accepted for now because bills. Would love to get a well paid passionate barista gig so I'm still looking

I haven’t worked at the ‘Bux in years (and never in Chicago), but Chicago minimum wage is $16.20

i was making around $16 at my store in TN and got bumped up to $18 when i moved here!

How much do starbucks make in tips per day?

I was at 17.25 when I worked there in summer 2024

Work is picking up, COL to wages is great I can afford what I need but the traffic is a nightmare

Chicago is a great city, tons of culture, great food, comparable weather, but the accent is terrible. You might miss the ocean too. I know I did (the Lake isn’t the same no matter what anyone from Chicago tells you lol)

At least you’ll get to see the Red Sox a few times a year on the south side!

Transit system is pretty good take it whenever i can

57 hr plus. I work in millwork install and stay fairly busy

It's easy enough to price out: Look at available apartments. Check out grocery stores in the neighborhoods you like online and see what their prices are like for some of your standard items. Your insurance is always going to depend on your job/how much money you make. Every state has funded programs for certain income levels. Look at jobs in Chicago and see what wages would be.

Housing is also expensive in Chicago, and everything is (what feels like) at least a 30 to 45 minute drive away. If you’re fine with that kind of driving, I guess Chicago is a good option for you. Personally I take the comparable cost of living to not have to deal with the daily frustrations of driving in Chicago.

I just recently moved from Chicago to Madison (for my partner’s work) and I can tell you Madison is definitely cheaper than chicago, at least more than a 1% difference. Rent is cheaper here, food/groceries, sales tax is half the rate (like 5% vs 10% chicago) so essentially anything you buy is 5% cheaper.

However, Chicago is a beautiful place and honestly worth the extra money. And, Chicago generally pays more so I guess it evens out in the end? Either way, it’s nothing like SF or NY and the change in price isn’t crazy. It’s totally worth the move if you want to go there!

Chicago is a very big city and the cost of living there very much depends on where in that very big city you live.

Of course there is variation in Madison, too, but not like Chicago.

You're in your early 20s. You appear to be considering Chicago, indicating that you don't hate big cities.

Unless you have an attachment to Madison (grew up here, family here, whatever), I say you should go to Chicago. You'll do a lot more living at this critical age.

Go have some fun!

Move to Chicago

Depends on what you constitute as "well" but assuming you have no debts/reoccuring bills/expenditures, you can probably get by. That's $3100/mo after taxes roughly, and you can rent small studios for about $950-$1000. That leaves you $2000 to play with. This isn't taking any savings/medical costs either.

I was living on 30k a year not too long ago, it's doable. 40-50 is doing pretty well. I still live like I'm living on 30 though.

I’d prefer having a roommate at the lower end of the scale, but it’s doable.

I’m sure you have your reasons for living alone, but I will say that you get so much more and better living space for your money when you have roommates. A 2B for $2400/mo is probably going to be a lot nicer of a place than a $1200 studio/1B, like significantly better maintained, located, equipped, etc.

I think it might have something to do with the housing stock here. It feels like there are way more 3-4 flats with 2B/3B units than large buildings with 1B/studio apartments, at least in the neighborhoods I’ve wanted to live in.

If you are new to the city and don’t know anyone, you can do a short-term sublet at first, so you don’t have to feel locked into a year lease but can keep your expenses low while you get your bearings.

Yes it’s doable, depending on where you want to live. Inflation has made it harder in the last year, but if you find a place that rents for roughly $1,100 (these types of places do still exist in a wide variety of neighborhoods, so you do your research), don’t have tons of debt or financial constraints, are willing to use public transit instead of having a car, it’s definitely possible.

As of this time last year I was living alone in Bucktown in a 1-bedroom on $50k, so it can work, you just have to be savvy ($40k might be a little tough if you want to live in a convenient neighborhood in a 1 bedroom). From $55k you get a little more breathing room that would be nice, $60k and up as a single person alone is where you start to get very comfortable, from $70k+ you can basically live however you want.