Moving to Chicago from outside America (Lincoln, San Jose: apartments, rent, violent crime)

[fedepia]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if you could help me with some opinions. I got a job proposal in Chicago and not sure if the salary is average, high or poor to live there.



The company is located 2.5 miles south of the Lincoln Park, so my idea is to live close to there, it would be fantastic to be close for walking distance or at least to have a short commute (around 30min).


The salary is not yet defined but I was told that there were different positions where they vary between 50K-70K. I'm not american, not even living in America, and have no clue whether these salaries are good or not to live and the most important to save.


Do you know what 50K, 60K and 70K salary is after taxes? I know US has lots of taxes calculations so also I'm lost on this topic.


On the other hand, the idea is to move there with my girlfriend so we would be living 2 people with that salary (although if you can tell if it's possible to save I can do my own calculations).



We are the kind of people that love outdoor and nature activities, so going out for meals is not a priority, but it is visiting places (we love scuba diving, not sure if there are good dives there).


I was wondering if you could tell me whether Chicago is risky/dangerous to live for outsiders.



I will really appreciate your thoughts and opinions.
Regards!

[damba]

Originally Posted by fedepia

Hi guys,

I was wondering if you could help me with some opinions. I got a job proposal in Chicago and not sure if the salary is average, high or poor to live there.



The company is located 2.5 miles south of the Lincoln Park, so my idea is to live close to there, it would be fantastic to be close for walking distance or at least to have a short commute (around 30min).


The salary is not yet defined but I was told that there were different positions where they vary between 50K-70K. I'm not american, not even living in America, and have no clue whether these salaries are good or not to live and the most important to save.


Do you know what 50K, 60K and 70K salary is after taxes? I know US has lots of taxes calculations so also I'm lost on this topic.


On the other hand, the idea is to move there with my girlfriend so we would be living 2 people with that salary (although if you can tell if it's possible to save I can do my own calculations).



We are the kind of people that love outdoor and nature activities, so going out for meals is not a priority, but it is visiting places (we love scuba diving, not sure if there are good dives there).


I was wondering if you could tell me whether Chicago is risky/dangerous to live for outsiders.



I will really appreciate your thoughts and opinions.
Regards!

Scuba diving? Well, you will have to travel to do (ocean based) scuba diving, so that's not really going to factor in much in Chicago. OTOH, the Caribbean/Florida/Mexico/California are good spots you could fly to via Chicago's O'Hare airport. Blue Hole in Belize was pretty cool IME

Keep in mind that 50-70K is a pretty decent jump. Your gf will want to work too if you are only 50K so you could potentially afford to live in nicer areas closer to the city. There are web sites with tax tables that you can plug in your salary/city to get an idea of net after taxes, etc.

Where are you moving from, btw? Just to get a baseline.

[fedepia]

Originally Posted by damba

Where are you moving from, btw? Just to get a baseline.

Thanks for the answer. I would be moving from Costa Rica, although I am from Argentina.

Since you said 50-70K is a big jump, could you give me some details about living/saving with 50K and same with 70k?

My gf won't be able to work since she will have tourist visa.

OTOH, is it a risky/dangerous place? I know all places are dangerous... I am from a country with ~30% poverty but would like to know if it is safety to walk every day and robbery is just bad luck or eventual stuffs.

[chet everett]

If the OP is being lured by an H1b type position I would caution that it is NOT very feasible for two people to live on a 'salary' of $50k in Lincoln Park, which is one of Chicago's priciest neighborhoods. Frankly that salary would not go far even in the more affordable areas on the fringes of Chicago out near O'hare where many H1b workers end up renting.

If the position would guarantee $70k that would be more feasible for two people to survive on, but there would still be many trade-offs to find an apartment that is affordable and convenient to transportation...

While Chicago is not as costly overall as NYC or San Francisco, the premium charged to live in areas with other professionals pushes the costs of living into the upper reaches of the nation. Depending on how important it is for you to be able to afford to both enjoy the nicer things that Chicago has to offer, use transportation, and save some money you should probably use some kind of "global cost of living" calculator to help you build a budget -- https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-l...rison/chicago/

[fedepia]

Chet, thanks a lot for our comments, I'll dig deeper on that page

[damba]

Originally Posted by fedepia

Chet, thanks a lot for our comments, I'll dig deeper on that page

I would quickly skim that site and move more practically to apartments.com. When you figure out where you will be working and public transportation options, you would navigate the whole situation just like you might back in Buenos Aires or San Jose. Find a neighborhood and rent that works for your budget. You should have decent enough options w/ 60K income (~$1500/month rent as an affordable baseline for a one bedroom apt).

[fedepia]

Excellent Damba, thanks a lot for that. I'll do some searches with that

[compactspace]

I'm from Australia -- don't live in Chi but I have very close ties to the place.

50K will mean a small, old apartment in a decent neighborhood. Something like South Loop, Uptown, Edgewater or Rogers Park. It's a low-end white collar salary.

70K will mean a small, old apartment in a higher-end neighborhood, or nice-ish living in one of the above. It's a lower-middle white collar salary.

By the sounds of it, if your job is '2.5 miles south of Lincoln Park', then it's in South Loop. So that seems like a good choice for you. Alternatively, Pilsen is more lively, artsy and low-rise and is an easy commute.

We are the kind of people that love outdoor and nature activities, so going out for meals is not a priority, but it is visiting places (we love scuba diving, not sure if there are good dives there).

If outdoor adventures are an essential condition for you then give Chicago a big miss. It's an urbanist's city. The land is flat as a pancake for dozens of miles around and while there are some very nice places to walk and camp, it's not a patch on the dramatic geography of the Rocky Mountains or the coasts. There's freshwater diving in the lake in warm months and even a few shipwrecks to explore, if I recall. But again, this ain't an oceanside town. You'll need to get on a plane to smell sea salt.

If it's any help: I've walked through most of Chicago's 'nice' neighborhoods very late at night (past 1 AM) and have never felt unsafe. Statistically, most of the city is fairly low on violent crime.

As Chet pointed out, be wary of H1B jobs. Those employers can get their hooks in you and underpay, then prevent you from leaving on threat of deportation. I'd seriously be negotiating for them to sponsor you for a greencard if you decide to move forward.

[damba]

Originally Posted by compactspace

As Chet pointed out, be wary of H1B jobs. Those employers can get their hooks in you and underpay, then prevent you from leaving on threat of deportation. I'd seriously be negotiating for them to sponsor you for a greencard if you decide to move forward.

Relax. Chicago isn't Dubai or UAE/Qatar. ROTFL. The OP isn't here to build a world cup stadium.

[fedepia]

@compactspace thank you very much for the detailed answer. This is very helpful to me. I started thinking that a relocation is easy but keeping benefits is not lol.