Stop Misleading People Into Thinking Chicago is Some Uber Cheap Utopia it's Not

Chicagoans are OBSESSED with lying to people and saying that Chicago is so cheap compared to other expensive big cities, but as someone who moved to Chicago from another expensive big city (Washington, DC) for graduate school, people overstate how cheap Chicago is relative to other cities. In fact, I'm shocked by how arrogant Chicago is when it comes to pricing.

Chicago is cheaper than NYC and SF, and that's about it. It is not cheaper than DC. There's tons of newer apartments in DC neighborhoods like Navy Yard and NoMa that are under $2k a month for a studio (sometimes as low as $1.6k to $1.7k) and come with concessions like 2 months free. Meanwhile, equivalent neighborhoods in Chicago like South Loop, Fulton Market, and West Loop are charging out the ass for rent (many buildings are $2.5k to $2.9k a month for a studio) and are arrogant enough to tell you you can't park in their parking garage unless you rent at least a 1 bedroom or pay at least $3k a month in rent. These developments are nowhere near as nice as their equivalents in DC either. West Loop is a bunch of pretty apartments dropped in a fugly ass industrial area that looks like it will go give you cancer with nothing to walk to. The apartments will be dropped in the middle of nowhere and be across the street from dilapidated buildings.

Even Hyde Park is massively overpriced by landlords who think they can manipulate UChicago students into paying crazy rents, but don't worry, paying $1.7k a month for a 1 bedroom in a building from 1932 with no dishwasher with a cockroach infestation, roofs that cave in, and in unit laundry is worth it because you can walk to some mid and overpriced coffee shop. Any newer apartment like Solstice will be $3k+ for a 1 bed.

And that brings me to my next point, food and parking in Chicago is also more expensive than DC. Chicago is one of the most expensive cities in the country for groceries, and many coffee shops will serve the shittiest coffee you've ever had and sell pastries that arent baked in the shop and bought from Costco's bakery, and they'll still charge you $15 to $20 for a coffee and a pastry. Street parking for two hours can cost up to $10.

That's the end of my rant. Chicago is a great city, but don't come here thinking it's a cheap utopia. You're still going to pay out the ass for rent, groceries, and transportation. Chicago is actually arrogantly overpriced for what it is. Chicago is asking for DC and Boston prices in neighborhoods that look like they're from gentrifying parts of Baltimore and Detroit.