Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in the Gold Coast rents for about $2,690 to $2,700 a month in fall 2026 and in Old Town about $2,500 to $2,870, and Oak Street Beach, free to everyone, is a short walk away.
The Gold Coast runs along the lake north of Oak Street, with vintage co-ops, high-rises and the Astor Street mansions, and Old Town sits just west around Wells Street and North Avenue. This is one of Chicago’s premier addresses, and here’s exactly what it costs.
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Gold Coast, RentHop (median, Oct 2026) | Gold Coast, RentCafe (avg., Sep 2026) | Old Town, RentHop (Oct 2026) | Old Town, RentCafe (avg., Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,229 | $1,931 | $2,290 | $2,338 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,689 | $2,699 | $2,500 | $2,871 |
| 2 bedrooms | $4,020 | $4,309 | $3,796 | $4,022 |
| 3 bedrooms | $7,000 | n/a | $7,247 | n/a |
Source: RentHop Gold Coast; RentCafe Gold Coast; RentHop Old Town; RentCafe Old Town, both RentCafe pages updated September 30, 2026. Three-bedroom figures reflect a small number of large luxury units. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- L: Red Line at Clark/Division and Chicago; Brown and Purple lines at Sedgwick and Chicago. From the City of Chicago’s list of L stops.
- Buses: #22 Clark (runs overnight), #36 Broadway, #151 Sheridan, #70 Division and #72 North, plus the Lake Shore Drive express buses.
- Metra: no station in the area; Clybourn (Zone 2) is to the northwest, and Ogilvie is a short ride south. See Metra fares.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewel-Osco Division | 102 W. Division St. |
| ALDI | 201 W. Division St. |
| Jewel-Osco Clybourn and Division | 424 W. Division St. |
| Target Gold Coast | 1200 N. Larrabee St. |
| Mariano’s New City | 1500 N. Clybourn Ave. |
| Whole Foods Lincoln Park | 1550 N. Kingsbury St. |
| Trader Joe’s Lincoln Park | 1840 N. Clybourn Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Oak Street Beach
Oak Street Beach at 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive is open 6am to 11pm with lifeguards from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, and there’s no entry fee (Chicago Park District).
Parking
Most residents who keep a car rent a garage space. The Gold Coast Galleria garage at 1030 N. Clark St. lists unreserved monthly parking at $265 (ParkChirp), and many high-rises have their own garages at their own rates. Chicago adds a 41.25% tax on monthly parking; see our Chicago parking guide. For street parking: Many residential blocks are permit zones. Adding your zone to your City Sticker costs $25 to $35 a year (the City Clerk’s City Sticker page lists $25 and its zone parking FAQ lists $35), on top of a $105.18 sticker for a passenger car in 2026. Guest passes are $15 for a sheet of 15. Check your block with the Clerk’s zone lookup before you sign a lease if you’ll have a car.
Property taxes and home prices
The Gold Coast and Old Town are in North Chicago Township (North Chicago Township). The Assessor’s 2024 report put Near North Side median sale prices at $323,000 for a condo and $1,199,000 for a single-family home, and Lincoln Park, which includes the Old Town Triangle, at $540,000 for a condo and $1,550,000 for a single-family home (Cook County Assessor, 2024 Chicago report). Citywide, the median Chicago homeowner bill for tax year 2025, mailed in August 2026, was $4,597, up 3.2% (Cook County Treasurer).
Condo and co-op owners also pay monthly association fees that vary widely by building, so ask for the current budget before you buy. Commercial streets are in special service areas including SSA 48 Old Town (Old Town Chamber) and SSA 75 Oak Street (City SSA map). For how bills are set and how to appeal, see our property tax guide.
New housing
The office building at 1165 N. Clark St. sold for $6.8 million in October 2026 to be converted into 80 apartments, with construction hoped to start by June 2027 (Hoodline).
A sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom, Gold Coast | $2,689 | $75 | $107,560 |
| Your own one-bedroom, Old Town | $2,500 | $75 | $100,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom, Gold Coast | $2,010 | $75 | $80,400 |
| Your own two-bedroom, Gold Coast | $4,020 | $75 | $160,800 |
Source: our calculation from the RentHop figures above. Income needed is monthly rent times 12, divided by 0.30. For a fuller answer that includes taxes and the rest of your budget, try our Chicago salary calculator, and see Chicago move-in costs for what you’ll pay up front.
Compare every neighborhood side by side in our Chicago neighborhood cost comparison, or work out your own number with our salary calculator. More neighborhood cost profiles: Albany Park, Avondale, Beverly, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Chatham, Chinatown, East and West Garfield Park, Edgewater and Andersonville, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Little Village, Logan Square, McKinley Park, North Center, Pilsen, Portage Park, River North and Streeterville, Rogers Park, South Loop, Uptown, West Loop, West Ridge and Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village.
Sources
- RentHop: Gold Coast rent
- RentCafe: Gold Coast rent
- RentHop: Old Town rent
- RentCafe: Old Town rent
- Metra: Clybourn
- Chicago Park District: Oak Street Beach
- ParkChirp: Gold Coast Galleria garage
- North Chicago Township
- Old Town Chamber: SSA 48
- City of Chicago: SSA map
- Hoodline: 1165 N. Clark conversion
- City of Chicago: list of L stops
- CTA fares
- City Clerk: City Sticker prices
- City Clerk: residential zone parking
- Cook County Assessor: 2024 Chicago report
- Cook County Treasurer: tax year 2025 analysis