Renting a room in a reasonably safe neighborhood for $450-550

[marothisu]

So I'm assuming since it's a 1996 Civic, you outright own it and only pay for gas/insurance? Chicago is most likely not like any other place you've lived. Do you need a car in Chicago in many situations? No (some do require it for sure though). Can you live with a car if you really wanted to? Yes. Your budget is really small though and be careful saying you need a car. I do understand what you're saying though. You are moving here without a job and need to go around looking. I do work in the field you're looking to get into by the way. You will not be driving to offices to hand in your resume - that will be done online. There are software companies/agencies/companies that need people like you out in the suburbs but also in the city. It's hard to predict these things.

Saying that you don't need to be anywhere near public transportation during this is quite interesting too. What if you have an interview somewhere downtown? Parking is expensive down there - just saying. Even for a few hours - public transit is more economical in that situation unless they're going to pay for your few hours of parking.

As far as parking spaces go in non downtown neighborhoods, it completely depends on the place you get. Chicago is dense in many areas meaning tons of buildings have 0 parking whatsoever. Some buildings may have parking though - some landlords could charge you $50-$100/month for it, others could be free if you're real lucky. If you live in a non gentrified, non hipster, non almost hipster neighborhood where more people own cars then you may be apt to get a free spot. Tons of people street park in town and the price of that completely depends on what area of town you are. Maximum it will be something like $25-$50/year and some areas are free. Beware of the city trying to get you on any violation they can and also remember to pay the mandatory wheel tax/city sticker.

[sivanes]

Ah cool, well, a young Rails developer over here. I've lived in places where you drive everywhere for the last 15 years, but I grew up in a large city and I have also been to most major cities in America (though, not Chicago). Regardless of that, I just wouldn't feel comfortable arriving without a car. Some of the first living arrangements may turn out to be not so great and I may have to move my stuff around a few times (it's not much, but repeatedly moving it across town, especially with the cold months coming in, I don't know about that). Is there a general perimeter in the city that you can point me to, within which living with a car is real pain in the ass? Just to get an idea?

[marothisu]

I understand the not feeling comfortable part. If you outright own your car, then keep it. If you're paying for it monthly then try and get rid of it if you can without penalty, at least shortly after you move to the city. Your budget is low and if you're going to eke out a living without a job, then you have to make a sacrifice. Living without a car is a lot easier than you think as long as you aren't going to areas/suburbs where you absolutely need one.

Are you from a colder climate or warmer climate?

Living with a car is only a pain in the ass in Chicago if you don't have a reserved parking spot/garage. Parking on the street in areas can suck in the sense of you trying to find a spot, making sure your car is absolutely moved when they want to do street parking/snow removal in the winter, etc. The biggest areas IMO that are a pain in the ass for this type of thing would be areas like Lincoln Park, Old Town, Lakeview, Uptown, Lincoln Square/Ravenswood, Edgewater, Wicker Park/Bucktown, maybe parts of Ukrainian Village and Logan Square, etc

[sivanes]

Oh yeah, the car is all paid off. I guess the ease of using public transit will make a lot more sense when I get here. After some experience with it in NYC, DC, Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Portland, I thought Portland's was the only one you can call impressive in terms of routes, cleanliness and timeliness. So, in my imagination, Chicago sits somewhere among the other cities, the quality among which varies greatly, meaning I really don't know what to expect. I've lived in NC for 15 years, but I've always hated the oppressively muggy summers and nonexistent winters. Thanks so much for the rundown!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by sivanes

Oh yeah, the car is all paid off. I guess the ease of using public transit will make a lot more sense when I get here. After some experience with it in NYC, DC, Boston, Atlanta, Miami and Portland, I thought Portland's was the only one you can call impressive in terms of routes, cleanliness and timeliness. So, in my imagination, Chicago sits somewhere among the other cities, the quality among which varies greatly, meaning I really don't know what to expect. I've lived in NC for 15 years, but I've always hated the oppressively muggy summers and nonexistent winters. Thanks so much for the rundown!

Interesting about Portland. I haven't really explored the city but have heard it's pretty cool. Chicago essentially has the second largest public transit system in the US. Usually the trains and buses are fairly clean - it really depends. Not spotless and sometimes you'll get on something that isn't (i.e. some ******* decided to throw a newspaper and it's now strewn across 10 feet of the train, or a really smelly homeless person has decided to take refuge there).

The trains in the popular parts of town usually come more often than what you may find in NYC. I think people would be surprised at how infrequent some of the lines in NYC come even at just 10pm.

[sivanes]

Got it. Another thing, what's your take on Chicago's tech scene? It's generally pretty open to hiring people without a CS degree, with 2-3 web apps on github to demonstrate the person's capabilities?