Cost of living in Chicago (apartments, insurance, student loans)

[mozymac]

Hello,

I'm going to move to U.S. (new immigrant) at june 2012 and I found the city of Chicago really fits me.

But I'm wondering how much is the average cost of living in Chicago for a single college student living alone. I've already searched for apartments but I can't find cost for living (food,utilities etc...)

It would be great if someone could provide me with a number in dollars instead of COL index compared to other U.S. states as I'm new to the U.S. and can't compare.

Thank you.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by mozymac

Hello,

I'm going to move to U.S. (new immigrant) at june 2012 and I found the city of Chicago really fits me.

But I'm wondering how much is the average cost of living in Chicago for a single college student living alone. I've already searched for apartments but I can't find cost for living (food,utilities etc...)

It would be great if someone could provide me with a number in dollars instead of COL index compared to other U.S. states as I'm new to the U.S. and can't compare.

Thank you.

It really depends. There are people on this board who live on $100,000/year and people on this board who live on closer to $20,000/year (maybe even less). It largely depends on what kind of lifestyle you want.

[mozymac]

hello emathias,

Thanks for the replay, I don't know how to best describe my self but I don't need anything fancy, just something to get me pass college. For apartments i've found couple of studios for about $700/month and for transportation I'm going to use the CTA UPass which cost about $100 per semester for all my transportation.

Now the part I'm having difficulty with is the food/utilities. For the utilities part i've got most of it covered (clothes,computer,phone etc..)

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

[long101]

Originally Posted by mozymac

hello emathias,

Thanks for the replay, I don't know how to best describe my self but I don't need anything fancy, just something to get me pass college. For apartments i've found couple of studios for about $700/month and for transportation I'm going to use the CTA UPass which cost about $100 per semester for all my transportation.

Now the part I'm having difficulty with is the food/utilities. For the utilities part i've got most of it covered (clothes,computer,phone etc..)

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

If your studio does not include heat and electricity that will add another 100 bucks a month on average. It really all depends on how you want to live. If you are going to eat a lot of spagetti, I'm sure 100 bucks a week is more then enough for food. If you would like to eat out, go to the bar, ect then its going to add up.

[tallahasseehero1]

Originally Posted by mozymac

hello emathias,

Thanks for the replay, I don't know how to best describe my self but I don't need anything fancy, just something to get me pass college. For apartments i've found couple of studios for about $700/month and for transportation I'm going to use the CTA UPass which cost about $100 per semester for all my transportation.

Now the part I'm having difficulty with is the food/utilities. For the utilities part i've got most of it covered (clothes,computer,phone etc..)

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

Are you getting any money from the school? have you considered taking out student loans? Loans can be a pain but I think they're worth it if it means you can eat better and be able to do more.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by mozymac

hello emathias,

Thanks for the replay, I don't know how to best describe my self but I don't need anything fancy, just something to get me pass college. For apartments i've found couple of studios for about $700/month and for transportation I'm going to use the CTA UPass which cost about $100 per semester for all my transportation.

Now the part I'm having difficulty with is the food/utilities. For the utilities part i've got most of it covered (clothes,computer,phone etc..)

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

It's definitely possible but your quality of life won't be the best and you won't really get to explore all that Chicago has to offer. I second the suggestion to look into any available loans or part-time employment that could help add a few hundred dollars more to your budget each month.

Where will you be going to school?

[ToriaT]

Yes a lot of students live on very little and take part time jobs to augment their income. Sometimes you can get jobs at the school like the library.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by mozymac

...
Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

I'd say it's definitely possible. That won't leave you anything really for entertainment, but you can certainly live on that amount. And there are free things to see and do in Chicago, from official city festivals to bars with bands that don't have a cover. So, yes, it's possible. It will be a meager existence, though.

This is basically what your budget might look like:

Mobile phone with internet: $70 (including taxes, etc)
4 drinks per week for socializing: $64/month ($4 each on average)
Food: $330 ($2/day for breakfast, $4/day for lunch, $5/day for dinner)
UPass: $20 (assuming it's valid for 5 months at a time)
Misc: $16 (soap, underwear, toilet paper, etc)

Obviously the biggest line item is food. I also made the assumption that your primary home internet source would be your mobile phone and you'd use the school lab or public wifi areas for bigger internet needs. You can probably cut your food back by some and be okay, but I think $11/day for food is pretty reasonable. You can either budget it to include some meat or a more consistent type of diet all the time, or you can eat cheaper most of the time (more cheap rice and beans and discount basics) and use the savings to eat out occasionally.

Originally Posted by long101

If your studio does not include heat and electricity that will add another 100 bucks a month on average. It really all depends on how you want to live. If you are going to eat a lot of spagetti, I'm sure 100 bucks a week is more then enough for food. If you would like to eat out, go to the bar, ect then its going to add up.

Most studios won't require $100/month for heat and electricity. Maybe half that much. And a lot of studios do include heat and hot water. The budget above assumes your utilities are included in rent.

If you search, you can get rent+utilities for under $700, which is a little savings. And you can cut down your drinks, too, by sticking with soda or buying fewer drinks, but I do suggest budgeting *something* for drinks (whether soft drinks or beer or whatever) with friends because the social aspect is what will keep you sane.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by mozymac

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

It's definitely possible to live on $500 after housing, but as others have pointed out, that won't leave you much for getting out and doing things.

Another budget item no one else mentioned is medical insurance, which can be quite expensive here in the United States. If your income is low enough, however, and you live in Cook County, you would probably qualify for free or reduced-cost medical care through the county health system.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by mozymac

hello emathias,

Thanks for the replay, I don't know how to best describe my self but I don't need anything fancy, just something to get me pass college. For apartments i've found couple of studios for about $700/month and for transportation I'm going to use the CTA UPass which cost about $100 per semester for all my transportation.

Now the part I'm having difficulty with is the food/utilities. For the utilities part i've got most of it covered (clothes,computer,phone etc..)

Is it possible to live on a $1200 per month budget or $500 after removing housing.

Thank you for your time

It's definitely possible, but as others have pointed out...utilities and stuff like phone/internet/cable if you want any of that. You should try and find a place that includes most utilities if you can like water, sewer, etc. If you can find somewhere that pays for your electric, then that's a big win. I'm not sure how often this happens, but at least at my place I just pay for electric.

Do as others suggest and try and find a part time job maybe. Good for your resume anyway to show that you can be a student and work, and get good grades. If you pulled in an extra $400-$700/month on the side..it would be worth it for sure, but who knows.


I would really search for studios that include some utilities (at least heat, and water would be big). If you can find that, then it's a big step forward for you and your budget.