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I'm looking for a straight-up comparison of rents (e.g. 1bdrm apartment) in Chicago, Philly, and Boston.
In Chicago: Northside
In Philly: Center City
In Boston: City Center area
Basically, safe areas, lots of wall to wall independent clothing stores, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. Doesn't have to be fancy digs, but not a rathole, and wife can walk safely at night.
It's really hard to tell from Craigslist, b/c the rents seem all over the map, and I don't recognize most of the non-Chicago neighborhoods. But My best guess is:
Chicago Northside: avg $800+
Philadelphia Center City: avg $900+
Boston City Center area: avg $1000+
It's not accurate for Boston unless you are looking at very small apartments. $1,000 will get you a place in an interesting neighborhood that's a bit out from the core, but it will not get you something decent that's downtown.
Chicago's North Side is all about location. Jefferson Park is obviously going to be cheaper than Wrigleyville, and neighborhoods closer to downtown.
Chicago's northside, even if you limit it to desirable northside areas close to the el, covers probably greater than 20 sq miles, and rental rates will vary greatly depending on which one of multiple neighborhoods you choose. (Actually the desirable neighborhoods of Chicago's northside are probably larger in area than the entire city of Boston.)
Last edited by oakparkdude; 11-04-2009 at 02:37 PM..
It's not accurate for Boston unless you are looking at very small apartments. $1,000 will get you a place in an interesting neighborhood that's a bit out from the core, but it will not get you something decent that's downtown.
I agree. You'll have to look several miles out from Boston's downtown before you find an apt for $1,000. Doubt you could even find a studio in Chinatown for that $.
I just looked at rent.com and the cheapest I could find for (central) Boston was a studio apartment in the South End for ~$900 base...granted it was a 250 square foot apartment, but it's something.
Thank you. This helps. I'm figuring out that Boston is outside my range, so it's down to Center City, Philadelphia, or North Side or the Loop in Chicago.
I realize North side is big. That was very helpful pointing out the size of a desireable neighborhood there being bigger than Center City as a whole. That gives some perspective. I hadn't thought of that.
The areas I think I'm interested in are just off the red line between Armitage and Berwyn in North Chicago. The Fullerton station area around DePaul, for instance, is a place I like.
Well do you have to live in the very downtown area of the city? If you look in Boston in neighborhoods like Allston/Brighton, you're much more likely to find more reasonable rents. Neighboring cities like Cambridge, Somerville (Davis Square area), or Watertown may suit you too. All of those areas are well covered by mass-transit and have good access to shopping.
Remember, living in a neighboring city in Boston is much different than living in a neighboring city in other places...the geographical borders of Boston are tiny (48 square miles vs 227 for Chi and 135 for Philly), and you can pass into cities like Cambridge and Somerville without realizing you've left the city. Hell, both Cambridge and Somerville are denser than Boston (they're 16,000 & 18,200 while Boston is around 13,000 people per square mile).
For comparison, the distance to downtown Boston from Davis Square in Somerville is a mile closer than the trip from Wrigleyville to the Loop in Chicago.
The areas I think I'm interested in are just off the red line between Armitage and Berwyn in North Chicago. The Fullerton station area around DePaul, for instance, is a place I like.
I'm trying to keep rent under $800.
Damn, that's a lot of area.
I think Addison to Armitage stops are the safest, but cost the most.
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