Chicago!!! What kind of life can $80k buy???

Question

Sorry, not to sound like you can actually buy "having a life" :) My husband & I are from the midwest, but are currently living in Houston. We have both been out of college a couple of years and are making an "ok" household income of about $90k. In Houston, without state/local income taxes, that is liveable. We pay $900 for our 2BR 2BA apt. We now plan to make a move to Chicago, a city that better fits our tastes (meaning, there are actually seasons and it's a few hours drive to family). I am also taking the opportunity to make a move into a different industry, which is resulting in us making only about $80k/yr combined. I would be working in Lincoln Park and my husband in the Loop. We are not trendy nightpeople, but are in our mid 20's (no kids) and enjoy coffee shops (w/ wifi) and a good thai restaurant (and yoga for me). We are ok with commuting up to a half an hour (we'd prefer not to use our car). Where and how in Chicago can we afford to live on our meager salary?

We've been checking apartment prices using a variety of internet resources. As all of you already know, rental prices are steep. We have to move in less than three weeks and we are feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to sort through all of the neighborhoods. There are so many neighborhoods, but many people focus on Lincoln Park. I would like to hear more about other neighborhoods and suburbs within easy commuting distance. As far as our apartment search goes, Craigslist was great, but it didn't appear to indicate whether any utilities are included. Utilities would make a big difference when looking at some of the rental prices.

Answer 1

You're going to be fine on $80K. There are lots of people living in very trendy neighborhoods for way less than that around here. I'm not saying you might not have to make some adjustments, but you'll be surprised how easy you'll find it. I thought I was going to be miserable when I went from renting at $1100/month (including utilities) to owning at $1700/month (plus utilities), but you make it work because it has to and pretty soon you don't even recall what you had to give up to get there. You're just glad to have all the new things that the new lifestyle brings.

Andersonville, Edgewater, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, North Center and Lincoln Square are all great neighborhoods that are cheaper than Lincoln Park that would likely suit your lifestyle interests.

My top picks would be Andersonville, Lincoln Square and North Center. I'd say they have the best combination of neighborhood attractions and transit service at a reasonable price.

Roscoe Village is a great little neighborhood with terrific shops and restaurants, but you'll have to take a combination of buses and trains to get anywhere.

Bucktown/Wicker Park are very close to the Loop by train, but you'd have to bus into Lincoln Park and that can sometimes take more than half and hour, especially in poor weather, despite the short distance between the neighborhoods.

Most of the cheaper neighborhoods on the list above probably have commutes that will average closer to 45 minutes to an hour by mass transit. Part of the lengthy commute times is due to construction underway on the train lines that's anticipated to take years to complete. Once completed, you'll be able to get from Edgewater to the Loop in about 40 minutes and to Lincoln Park in under half an hour.

Lakeview and Wrigleyville would offer great commute times for both of you, but most 2BR there will cost you way more than $1000, especially if they have 2BA.

If cheaper rent is the top priority, check out Ukrainian Village (another bus-to-a-train set up, but far cheaper than all the other neighborhoods above and an up-and-coming spot).

Be sure to check the Chicago Reader frequently for apartment listings: http://www.chicagoreader.com/

Good luck with your move!

Answer 2

Well, as most people have pointed out, the best way to search is using the Space Finder at chicagoreader.com. You can conduct a search by cost, type of dwelling, etc.

Now, $80k is not a "meager" salary in Chicago by any means. You can have a great life in Chicago with that kind of money. Heck, I live by myself and have fun with a little more than half that much. There's a lot to do here on all income levels.

From the way you describe yourselves, Lincoln Park would be your best bet. It would be right where you job is and only about 20 minutes (on a good day) for your husband. Heck, if he wants to ride a bike, he can take the bike path all the way to the Loop and be there in about 30 mins. or less. you could try Roscoe Village (a little further north) or Wrigleyville. Although Wrigley ville has about 50 gazillion bars and if you're not nightpeople, you may not want to put up with loud drunks from the bars or the ballpark in the spring and summer. Andersonville is a little further north and the rents are still pretty reasonable... for now. It's becoming trendier by the week (a big new bar/restaurant just opened up) and rents are bound to go up. But it still has a small community feel, some good restaurants, a few grocery stores, large and small, nearby and it's about 45 minutes from the Loop (about 20 from Lincoln Park). It's got a pretty heavy gay population (it used t to be mostly gay women but then the boys started moving in. My neighborhood of Edgewater is east of Andersonville. A lot of the buildings there are turning condo and new condos are being built, but there are still apartments with cheap rent. There is a new thai restaurant, a new bakery cafe with free wi-fi, a high end French restaurant, Starbucks (unfortunately), a small theater company that puts on a new production about every month or so, a few small bookstores and a swanky Mexican restaurant that the director of the Goodman Theater swears by. Further north is Rogers park. It's going through a little transition now, but it's still got the same artsy community stuff going. It used to be "the hippie neighborhood" and there're a few of them still around. Rent is cheap there, but like Edgewater, there are condos popping up all the time. It's home to the north campus of Loyola University. It's about an hour on the el from the Loop and about a half hour from Lincoln Park. Admittedly, there are some crime concerns (when the city tore down most of the CHA buildings the residents were sent all over the city and a lot of them moved into Rogers Park and brough some of their baggage with them). but that shouldn't scare you off. There are small coffee shops, small restaurants, there's an annual Jazz fest run by Cafe Ennui, a new Glenview arts district festival (they held it last week) and other things to bring the community together.

I would suggest the Old Town area, but I'm not sure what the rents are like there now. It's south of Lincoln park a bit, and closer to downtown.

do a web search for each of these neighborhoods (Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, Wrigleyville, Edgewater, Andersonville) and I'm sure you'll run across stories about what's happening in those neighborhoods to get a feel for what it's like to live there.

Answer 3

Hello and Welcome back to Chicago!

Chi-town might have grown up a bit since you lived here before. There are coffee shops, good Thai restaurants and Yoga Centres everywhere.

To be perfectly honest, I think you may not have a realistic communte in mind for you price range. That being said, Oak Park sounds like it might work for you. It's quite posh, with a lot of International restaurants and shopping, and PLENTY of coffeeshops. You can walk to the train station and that will take you both to yout respective parts of downtown easily.

If status is not an issue, then take a look at Harwood Heights, West Chicago, petty much any city that runs along the blue line. This way when you do use your car (for work or pleasure), you will be very close to the on-ramps for 90, 290, 294, 190 to O'Hare, etc.

Good luck with your transition! (Just try to get here before the snow satrs or after it is over - not during :p)

Answer 4

I think you'll be OK on a combined income of $90k...but just remember why you moved into the city in the first place - to enjoy what it has to offer. Not just to live "in the city".

I know a lot of people who buy these condos or apartments out of their price range, then live as prisoners in their home b/c they can't afford to eat out, utilize the entertainment, or anything else. Restaurants, shopping, and entertainment are pretty expensive in Chicago. And if you can't afford to enjoy these things in addition to your mortgage/rent, there's no point living here.

I lived in hi-rise in the Loop for 3 years as a bachelor. Granted I was big into nightlife and shopping, but I was making more money than I ever had before, yet I was the poorest I'd ever been in my life.

I recently have moved out to the suburbs with my gf. Now I'm practically swimming in money.

Answer 5

Y not think about moving to NW Indiana. That's where I grew up and it is WAY cheaper to live outside of Illinois, but have the same, or shorter commute times then a lot of the suburbs. Also, house prices, etc would be cheaper and you would have a small(er) town feel and be just a train ride from downtown. My step mom travels downtown every day on the train and it takes her about an hour to get to work but she lives much nicer than her counterparts that make the same money but live in the city. Check out Dyer Indiana. There is a train station there that'll get you into the city fast and it's a high class town with affordable housing.

Answer 6

Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Printers' Row, River North...the list goes on and on.

Why not the suburbs? Stay close to rapid transit...CTA el lines. for a cheap commute. Try Evanston, Wilmette, Skokie to the north and Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park to the west. You will fit into any of these places. All are an easy commute to the Loop by car, Metra train or CTA.

Check out The Chicago Reader for an extensive listing of Real Estate, then go to the Home page for entertainment, restaurants and jobs. You can search particular areas of the city or suburbs.

http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?section=oid%3A8&

Answer 7

You can have a great life in Chicago based on your salary. You will need to physically come to see certain areas because some neighborhoods that are next to one another can mean the difference in more money for rent. The northside in the immediate Lincoln Park area is somewhat expensive but check newspapers in the rental sections which can help. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times are are two main newspaper sources....

Answer 8

I live in Rockford Il 45 min from o hare airport. The cost of living is cheap here. I bought a 2800 square ft brand new home for 170,000 2 years ago. If you dont mind the commute, the closer to rockford, the cheaper it will be. The suburbs are outrageous also. We looked in Arlington heights and hoffman estates. WOW. The el is how smart people get around in chicago because the traffic is brutal. Good Luck.

Answer 9

$80K is great income, combined or otherwise. I wish I made that much! I can only dream of $80K, better yet, I can only dream of half of $80K or anything near it. Well, I would suggest to live closer to the city, since both of you are working fairly close to it. I would consider the north side, lakefront area, and any downtown loft and condo areas. Good luck!

Try this site, since you have tried Craigslist: http://www.sublet.com

Answer 10

Ravenswood and Andersonville are good neighborhoods. So is Old Irving Park and North Center.

Beat place to find and apartment is to go to Apartment People. They are one of the oldest and is one of the largest apartment finding services. http://www.apartmentpeople.com/

http://www.chicagohome.com/neighborhoodMasterList.cfm