Can a single person live off $32,500 in Chicago? (movies, restaurant)

[MSchemist80]

Yes but frugally. You might be able to stretch it further in the subburbs especially if you insist on having a car. Certainly housing, parking, gas, and quite a few other expenses would be a bit lower.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by Mdvn

can a single woman live comfortably in Chicago on $32,500/yr?

Yes.

Ideally, I'd like to live in the safe neighborhoods in the area (Lincoln Park, Logan Square, Wicker Park, Edgewater, etc). Is that even possible with a monthly paycheck of 2,000 dollars?

Only if you have a room mate, can it be comfortable in those neighborhoods.

Find a different neighborhood if you want to live alone, comfortably.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

Yes.

Only if you have a room mate, can it be comfortable in those neighborhoods.

Find a different neighborhood if you want to live alone, comfortably.

Depending on how much her debt is, she could live alone comfortably in Edgewater in a studio, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it at first unless she has decent savings or her lifestyle isn't that to go out all the time. She also stated she doesn't know Chicago, so read that in context. She mentions safe neighborhoods, then gives examples of such. These are neighborhoods, as someone who doesn't know the city, she has heard are safe. It's obvious her #1 concern is safety + affordability.

[ihazawarm]

My salary used to be right around $32500. I have lived in Lakeview for 3 years, and that was my salary for 2 of those years before I got a substantial raise. I have had a roommate the whole time and no debt. My rent was under $700 for those two years. I don't have a particularly active lifestyle, meaning I don't go out very often. And on that salary, I still had some trouble. Admittedly, I'm not the best at budgeting, and probably with a bit more structure, I would have done much better. But I often ended up spending more than I made and wasn't able to save any money. Things add up: food, transportation, internet/cable, electricity, etc, etc. I needed clothes. I had to pay vet bills (and vet bills in the city are very expensive). And if you've got loans to pay off on top of it, I think you'll have to be very careful with your money and make sacrifices. You'll have to budget well, and be very conscious of what you're spending. But I wouldn't say it's impossible.

[MSchemist80]

If you want to save money on vet bills go out into the shticks and find a rural vet. The ones in the city charge up the yin yang.

[Lifelong Chicagoan]

I live on my own and it didn't take me long to realize that pets and cars are money guzzlers, unless you buy your pets the cheap junk food. I had to put my elderly cat to sleep and while I miss her, I have to say that I enjoy not having to haul cat litter home and spend around $30/mo on food and litter. At one point, I considered getting rid of my car too. Scrap cable TV too.

I would suggest getting an apartment with radiator steam heat, since it will be included in your rent. Getting a roommate will help keep costs down. Lincoln Park, depending on what part, might not be the best place to live on on your income and also parking will be bad, but Edgewater will be even worse for street parking.


Ten years ago, I was making $33,000 a year with no car and a student loan payment of $180/mo but not much debt otherwise and no car. My share of rent was $667 and looking back I can't imagine being able to be comfortable paying for two pets and gas for my car as well as insurance.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Depending on how much her debt is, she could live alone comfortably in Edgewater in a studio, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it at first unless she has decent savings or her lifestyle isn't that to go out all the time. She also stated she doesn't know Chicago, so read that in context. She mentions safe neighborhoods, then gives examples of such. These are neighborhoods, as someone who doesn't know the city, she has heard are safe. It's obvious her #1 concern is safety + affordability.

While I have lived in a studio, many people would not consider a studio to be "comfortable".

[It'sAutomatic]

Your biggest expense will be housing. Chicago's not too expensive but not exactly a bargain, either. You can get a bedroom in a safe, non-central area for $500 if you look hard. Solo apartments can get as cheap as $650, but you'll want roommates if you're paying off debt and would like having money to spend or save at the end of the month.

I'm actually in your situation approximately. I've gotten by off of $385 rent pulling about $2000 a month, and being forced to get a new apartment without many great options, I've decided that I can afford 1/2 of $1050 2BR rent while paying off student loans.

[fortwaynebandit]

Originally Posted by nearnorth

Can you live on that income? Yes. Can you live in the way that you appear to want to live (expensive neighborhood, car, etc.) on that income? No. Chicago is more expensive than Houston and Atlanta.

Agreed.

$50k is about the lowest you can earn and successfully live IN Chicago,especially someplace with a relatively low crime rate. With deference to people who say “get a roommate”: If you need to get a roommate to afford to live somewhere, you can’t afford to live there.

Also, roommates bring an added measure of drama into your personal life that you may neither need nor want. And there’s the fact that if your roommate gets married, gets serious with someone or even moves, you are going to be stressing trying to find someone else to cover the gap.

[SavannahInChicago]

I live off of that for about that pay. I live in a small studio in Lakeview off the Belmont L stop. Truthfully, I could afford a one bedroom for what I pay for my studio ($825) in a cheaper neighborhood, but I love the area.

I have two cats with me and am lucky to not pay pet rent so I can worry about food, litter, etc. I have student loans and credit card debt as my primary bills. I do not have cable, but instead got internet and an Apple TV. Along with Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime, I am set and saving so much money.

A huge difference though, is that I do not have a car. You really don't need one. I got a zip car membership so I can rent a car if I really need one for about $11 an hour, but I have only used it once in the 6 months I have lived here. I use the CTA or walk. My work offers commuter benefits so I get the monthly pass taken out of my paycheck pre-taxed. Something to check into. I think you will find that you don't need your car here. It is more of a hindrance then anything else. Get the Uber App and call it good.

All in all, I do wish that I had a little more money so I could go out more because there is so much to do and eat. Summer festivals are coming up and I cannot wait to go to so many of those. It is all in how you budget though and what you want to spend money on. I am trying to rapidly pay off my credit card debt so I can go back to school so I am throwing more money then usual at it. I can also be comfortable in older building and do not need to be in a new high rise. It is completely doable, whether you want to live along or get a roommate.