{"id":8147,"date":"2023-06-14T12:28:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T06:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.devbeta.in\/sushant\/?p=8147"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T09:10:08","slug":"cost-of-living-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/student-finances\/cost-of-living-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost of Living in Chicago for Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago is the most populated city in Illinois, and the third-most populous in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of living in Chicago will be based on your food, rent, transport, utilities, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Chicago expensive?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chicago is 17.8% less expensive than New York<\/strong> (without rent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good part is that student accommodation in Chicago<\/strong> is available and plenty to find. There are top 4 student accommodations in Chicago<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can reduce your living expenses by staying close to the university and even sharing an accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please bear in mind that the cost of living will depend upon your lifestyle, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we list the details of the cost of living in Newcastle, let\u2019s summarize its cost.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expenses<\/strong><\/td>Cost (Average)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Average Tuition Fees<\/td>$20,000 \u2013 $70,000 \/ Year<\/td><\/tr>
Accommodation<\/td>$800 \u2013 $2,000 \/ Month<\/td><\/tr>
Transportation<\/td>$108 \/ Month<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Costs of Tuition Fees<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tuition fees are one of the factors that determine the cost of your expenses. Before you start applying to a university, do proper research on the expenses. The cost of tuition fees in Chicago will depend upon the course and university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate Tuition Fee<\/strong><\/td>Post-Graduate Tuition Fee<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
$20,000 \u2013 $60,000 \/ Year<\/td>$20,000 \u2013 $70,000 \/ Year<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Student Accommodation Costs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cost of student housing in Chicago comes at many prices. You can find many student rooms ranging from luxurious to budget-friendly ones. There is also cheap student accommodation during exchange programmes and summer school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three types of student accommodation in Chicago<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Student Housing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Student housing<\/strong><\/a> is one of the most popular types of accommodation in Chicago. This housing provides students with a spacious space to live in a single or share a room. The buildings are built close to the university and offer good amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the accommodations are at a distance of under 3 miles. While the ones outside of the city center are upto 20 miles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Housing<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Ensuite\/ Studio<\/td>$854 \u2013 $1,390 \/ Month<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Private Apartment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Students can get apartments on rent in Chicago \u2013 luxurious to cheap ones. Chicago is an expensive city, try to get a rented space with a friend or a classmate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apartment<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Private<\/td>$1,440 \u2013 $2,024 \/ Month<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. University Halls<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Student halls are rooms provided by the university on rent. If you do not try to get it, it is hard to find a room. Now, students are less worried about so many student rooms available in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University Hall<\/strong><\/td>Price<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Ensuite\/ Studio<\/td>$800 \u2013 $2,400 \/ Month<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Food<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Based on your lifestyle, an average meal in Chicago should cost around $20 per person and a glass of beer for $7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utility Bills<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The cost of utility bills in Chicago is expensive, but when you choose to stay in student housing, your bills are covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transportation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The transportation system in Chicago is accessible by bus, train, taxi, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buses travel throughout the city daily. You can get discounted prices by using Ventra Card or Unlimited Ride Pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metra Commuter is one of the fastest rail trains connecting the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxis are available everywhere in parts and corners of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also water taxis which are affordable and fast if you are in for sightseeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best ways to reduce your living costs in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Keep track of spending<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you know where are spending, you will be able to keep track of it and use it wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bargains, and discounts save money<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bargain is a fun activity and it can save you money. If you have student discounts, use them in the shops, travel etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook home meals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make use of your cooking skills or learn to cook if you don\u2019t have it, it will reduce cost on your food expenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save energy save money<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saving energy means saving money on paying for electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk Or Cycle <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you need to travel, walk or cycle if you can to help save money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find affordable and shared student accommodation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not hard to find affordable accommodation in Chicago and share the rent with your friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago is the most populated city in Illinois, and the third-most populous in the US. The cost of living in Chicago will be based on your food, rent, transport, utilities, etc. Is Chicago expensive? Chicago is 17.8% less expensive than New York (without rent). The good part is that student accommodation in Chicago is available […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[975],"tags":[1026,994],"class_list":["post-8147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-student-finances","tag-chicago","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}