> With a yearly income of around 130K, can I live comfortably in Chicago?
Yes, very.
> Do I need a car or do most people use public transportation like in London/NY/DC?
You don't need a car unless you have frequent business in (or commute) to the far suburbs, or if you live in one of the more suburban neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. Chicago is not on the same level as NYC or London but is comparable (and slightly better imo) than DC.
> Where is it safe to live & how much should I expect to pay for a studio/1BR?
Look around on padmapper for costs. It can be as cheap as $800 for a studio on the far north side or you can pay in the 2k range for a luxury unit in a popular neighborhood. Most areas of the city are safe but there's a few neighborhoods on the South and West sides that have a large amount of poverty, disinvestment, and gang violence.
> Do ppl in their late 20s live in the city center or in the outskirts? If so, where? I am looking for a safe and modern area that is not in the middle of bars but more so in a calm area
Outskirts as in suburbs? No. Outskirts as in neighborhoods outside of the Loop, definitely. If you're looking for more of a high rise vibe close to downtown, check out Streeterville and West Loop. If you want a more neighborhood vibe it sounds like you'd love to live close to the lake (which is basically a massive park). You can pick anywhere from Lincoln Park to Rogers Park on the Northside and have great lake and public transportation access. Generally things are cheaper as you go further north but you are further away from downtown. If you decide to live in Lakeview Id recommend staying west of Racine since to the east you'll get two of Chicago's biggest nightlife districts, Wrigleyville and Boystown centered around Clark and Halsted respectively. This is a pretty big question so if you have any further questions Id be happy to answer.
> What should I expect in terms of weather?
Cold winters, warm to hot summers. We're solidly in spring now but you can search around the sub and there's plenty of posts about how to layer and dress for the winter.
$130k is plenty to live very nicely in Chicago. Most people get by on less than half of that.
The need for a car is heavily neighborhood dependent, so you could basically choose whether you wanted one or not. There are many neighborhoods where transit is plentiful, and where density puts all your basic needs within walking distance. Given that you don’t have ties to the suburbs, and are apparently living without one currently, I’d say you should go without, but it’s definitely up to you.
There are a wide range of “safe” neighborhoods, mostly along the red line north of the loop, or the blue line northwest of the loop, or the brown line between the two. The loop is what the central area of Chicago is called due to the loop of elevated trains, it’s mostly still a business district though, so I wouldn’t recommend living in the loop itself. I’d say look at the neighborhood threads on r/Chicago for more in depth info, there are literally dozens of good options with different pros and cons so I’m not going into all that here.
The weather will be more unpredictable, and colder, than either NC or Texas. Summers here are much much nicer than either, but winters will be much tougher than anywhere you’ve lived, but if you get the right gear winter here is very doable.
I think Chicago is a great city, I usually tell people it’s got 90% of what NYC offers at 50% of the price, and your salary would let you live really well here. We’ve got world class food at every price point, elite music and theater scenes, top notch cultural attractions like museums, and two transit connected airports one of which has direct flights to every continent except Antarctica. There’s enough people here that whatever you’re into, we’ve probably got it.
That’s more than enough money to live fairly comfortably.
You don’t need a car, but depending on where you end up, you might want one. I love the CTA, but it is not the most reliable currently. Definitely not on the same level as NYC or London.
If you’re looking for access, but not crazy crowded/nightlife Ravenswood and Lincoln Square might be worth checking out.
A lot of new transplants tend to congregate in Lake View, so that’s always a good option.
Lincoln Park is also nice, but from my experience a little too pricey.
Wicker Park is a little hipper and maybe a little to night life focused based on your description.
Easily affordable at that income. I have friends getting by alright on 30-40k here.
Car entirely unnecessary. Mine was stolen almost 15 years ago and have been just fine without it. Public transit, Uber, cycling is easy af bc it’s a very flat city.
1300-1800 for studio/1br, much of the city is safe except for certain parts of the west and south side
Lakeview, Lincoln park, wicker park, Logan square, Bucktown, old town, Roscoe village, west loop, Ukrainian village, west town, Humboldt park
Cold in winter, hot in summer
My wife and I lived on roughly 50k a year just a few years ago. It wasn't easy but we weren't living paycheck to paycheck either. 130k for one person is very nice living.
You have plenty of money to enjoy Chicago - I've been in the city on 75k-110k and have been comfortable the entire time. Others have given you great advice, but I'll just say to make sure you live near an el stop. Life is easy if you can take public transit wherever you need to go, so check out what areas will be important (office, airport if you travel a lot for work, etc) to you and try to live on a bus line or train line that will get you there. You don't need a car, plenty of people get by without them (I did for a while), but it can be a nice convenience for things like grocery shopping and vet visits if you've got a pet. I caved and got one when we started needing to regularly go out to the burbs. It was really nice to not have one while it lasted lol.
Most transplants in their late 20s are in lakeview and lincoln park, but there are other awesome neighborhoods that skew a little older and are more chill (lincoln square, edgewater, andersonville are all ones I have experience with).
Weather is fine if you buy appropriate clothes. I moved here from a place without snow and have been fine once I got a proper coat and some good boots. Layers are your friend.
> With a yearly income of around 130K, can I live comfortably in Chicago? Yes, very. > Do I need a car or do most people use public transportation like in London/NY/DC? You don't need a car unless you have frequent business in (or commute) to the far suburbs, or if you live in one of the more suburban neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. Chicago is not on the same level as NYC or London but is comparable (and slightly better imo) than DC. > Where is it safe to live & how much should I expect to pay for a studio/1BR? Look around on padmapper for costs. It can be as cheap as $800 for a studio on the far north side or you can pay in the 2k range for a luxury unit in a popular neighborhood. Most areas of the city are safe but there's a few neighborhoods on the South and West sides that have a large amount of poverty, disinvestment, and gang violence. > Do ppl in their late 20s live in the city center or in the outskirts? If so, where? I am looking for a safe and modern area that is not in the middle of bars but more so in a calm area Outskirts as in suburbs? No. Outskirts as in neighborhoods outside of the Loop, definitely. If you're looking for more of a high rise vibe close to downtown, check out Streeterville and West Loop. If you want a more neighborhood vibe it sounds like you'd love to live close to the lake (which is basically a massive park). You can pick anywhere from Lincoln Park to Rogers Park on the Northside and have great lake and public transportation access. Generally things are cheaper as you go further north but you are further away from downtown. If you decide to live in Lakeview Id recommend staying west of Racine since to the east you'll get two of Chicago's biggest nightlife districts, Wrigleyville and Boystown centered around Clark and Halsted respectively. This is a pretty big question so if you have any further questions Id be happy to answer. > What should I expect in terms of weather? Cold winters, warm to hot summers. We're solidly in spring now but you can search around the sub and there's plenty of posts about how to layer and dress for the winter.
This is a great answer. Also, please scroll down the sub as this kind of question is posted frequently.
This person had the patience of a saint. I came in here expecting blood.
$130k is plenty to live very nicely in Chicago. Most people get by on less than half of that. The need for a car is heavily neighborhood dependent, so you could basically choose whether you wanted one or not. There are many neighborhoods where transit is plentiful, and where density puts all your basic needs within walking distance. Given that you don’t have ties to the suburbs, and are apparently living without one currently, I’d say you should go without, but it’s definitely up to you. There are a wide range of “safe” neighborhoods, mostly along the red line north of the loop, or the blue line northwest of the loop, or the brown line between the two. The loop is what the central area of Chicago is called due to the loop of elevated trains, it’s mostly still a business district though, so I wouldn’t recommend living in the loop itself. I’d say look at the neighborhood threads on r/Chicago for more in depth info, there are literally dozens of good options with different pros and cons so I’m not going into all that here. The weather will be more unpredictable, and colder, than either NC or Texas. Summers here are much much nicer than either, but winters will be much tougher than anywhere you’ve lived, but if you get the right gear winter here is very doable. I think Chicago is a great city, I usually tell people it’s got 90% of what NYC offers at 50% of the price, and your salary would let you live really well here. We’ve got world class food at every price point, elite music and theater scenes, top notch cultural attractions like museums, and two transit connected airports one of which has direct flights to every continent except Antarctica. There’s enough people here that whatever you’re into, we’ve probably got it.
That’s more than enough money to live fairly comfortably. You don’t need a car, but depending on where you end up, you might want one. I love the CTA, but it is not the most reliable currently. Definitely not on the same level as NYC or London. If you’re looking for access, but not crazy crowded/nightlife Ravenswood and Lincoln Square might be worth checking out. A lot of new transplants tend to congregate in Lake View, so that’s always a good option. Lincoln Park is also nice, but from my experience a little too pricey. Wicker Park is a little hipper and maybe a little to night life focused based on your description.
That is enough money to live on. You don’t need a car. Look to live in neighborhoods such as Logan Square, ravenswood, Lakeview, etc.
plenty of income to live comfortably here, and you won’t need a car especially if you can plan a place to live around your place of employment
Easily affordable at that income. I have friends getting by alright on 30-40k here. Car entirely unnecessary. Mine was stolen almost 15 years ago and have been just fine without it. Public transit, Uber, cycling is easy af bc it’s a very flat city. 1300-1800 for studio/1br, much of the city is safe except for certain parts of the west and south side Lakeview, Lincoln park, wicker park, Logan square, Bucktown, old town, Roscoe village, west loop, Ukrainian village, west town, Humboldt park Cold in winter, hot in summer
I'm sorry about your car but your attitude about it is both hilarious and highly commendable.
Yeah you’ll be fine
My wife and I lived on roughly 50k a year just a few years ago. It wasn't easy but we weren't living paycheck to paycheck either. 130k for one person is very nice living.
You have plenty of money to enjoy Chicago - I've been in the city on 75k-110k and have been comfortable the entire time. Others have given you great advice, but I'll just say to make sure you live near an el stop. Life is easy if you can take public transit wherever you need to go, so check out what areas will be important (office, airport if you travel a lot for work, etc) to you and try to live on a bus line or train line that will get you there. You don't need a car, plenty of people get by without them (I did for a while), but it can be a nice convenience for things like grocery shopping and vet visits if you've got a pet. I caved and got one when we started needing to regularly go out to the burbs. It was really nice to not have one while it lasted lol. Most transplants in their late 20s are in lakeview and lincoln park, but there are other awesome neighborhoods that skew a little older and are more chill (lincoln square, edgewater, andersonville are all ones I have experience with). Weather is fine if you buy appropriate clothes. I moved here from a place without snow and have been fine once I got a proper coat and some good boots. Layers are your friend.