Chicago is one of the largest cities in the United States. Due to the large metropolitan, the cost of living in Chicago is high as compared to other major cities of the United States. On the other side, the unemployment rate is very low in Chicago. If you are searching for the great places to work with the best living conditions then Chicago is one of cities that you should consider for living. The average cost of living in Chicago depends on many factors. Here we have given short information about living costs in Chicago.
Is it expensive to live in chicago? If you have a similar question then the answer of this question depends on many factors like individual food costs, location of a rented apartment, ways of transport for daily commuting, and many more things. The expenses of living in it are slightly high but on the other hand, there are a number of services and things to do in Chicago and its neighborhoods that attract visitors to live permanently in Chicago.
Cost of food in Chicago
The average food cost it per person is around $280 per month. There are a number of options for restaurants in it. The cost per meal is around $15 to $35 in Chicago. It varies from basic meal to full-size meal. If you are taking meals in the Airport Area or in downtown Chicago then it has a 1% surcharge on prepaid meals. For lower budget options, you have to cook your own food yourself to save a large amount of money on food.
Cost of housing
it is much more expensive in terms of rental price but it has much lower rents than other major cities like New York and San Francisco. The rent of apartments are highest in the area like River West, River North and Streeterville. If you are finding low budget housing options then search apartments in it neighborhoods like Austin and the Island.
For youngsters and working professionals, private rooms are the best options to lower the cost of living in it. The private rooms are much cheaper than full studio apartments.
Cost of transportation
Chicago has public transportation in almost all areas of the city. Most of the service industries are located in nearby locations of public transportation. So you can easily reach your office or business with public transport. The cost of bus and rail transportation in Chicago is only $2,25 to $2.50 per trip. If you’re daily commuters then a bus and rail pass is the best option which costs around $110 per month. For car owners, these expenses are very high. You have to pay the cost of auto insurance, car maintenance and the cost of petrol.
These are the major expenses in it that impact on the average cost of living in Chicago. There are many other expenses that you may need to pay like $2500 on health care, for electricity, for water and gas, for internet connection and many more small expenses. If you have a good budget then only you can buy your own housing unit like a studio apartment or 1 BHK or 2 BHK apartment.
We hope this article will help you to calculate your average cost of living after considering all small and big expenses.