Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in Belmont Cragin rents for about $1,400 a month in fall 2026, two-bedrooms about $1,635 to $1,800, and single-family homes sold for a median $360,000 in 2024, with four Metra stations nearby and a pool at Riis Park.
Belmont Cragin is on the Northwest Side around Belmont, Central and Fullerton avenues, a neighborhood of bungalows and two-flats with a busy shopping strip at Belmont and Central. It’s one of the more affordable places to buy a house in the city. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,400 a month, runs about $679 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 40th lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,400 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $1,635 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $56,000 a year |
| L lines | None |
| Metra | Milwaukee District West |
| Part of the city | Northwest Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Buyer help · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Zumper (avg., Oct 2026) | RentHop, ZIP 60639 (Oct 2026) | RentHop, ZIP 60634 (avg., Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,350 | $1,575 | $1,250 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,400 | $1,200 | $1,100 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,635 | $1,700 | $1,800 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,500 | $1,999 | $2,500 |
Source: Zumper Belmont Cragin rent research, updated October 23, 2026; RentHop 60639; RentHop 60634. The ZIP codes also cover parts of Hermosa, Austin, Portage Park and Dunning, and studios rest on few listings. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- Metra: Hanson Park, Galewood and Mars on the Milwaukee District West Line, all Zone 2: $3.75 one way (Metra fares). See Metra fares.
- L: no station in Belmont Cragin; the Blue Line is east at Belmont.
- Buses: routes along Belmont (#77), Diversey (#76), Fullerton (#74), Central (#85), Cicero (#54) and Narragansett (#86).
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewel-Osco Narragansett and Diversey | 2520 N. Narragansett Ave. |
| ALDI | 4627 W. Diversey Ave. |
| ALDI | 2828 N. Central Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Parks
Riis Park at 6100 W. Fullerton Ave. covers 57 acres with a pool, water play area, running track and fieldhouse (Chicago Park District).
Parking
If you will have a car, check your block with the City Clerk’s zone lookup before you sign a lease. Adding a residential permit zone to your City Sticker costs $25 to $35 a year, on top of the $105.18 passenger-car sticker; our parking guide covers guest passes, meters and garages.
Property taxes and home prices
The Assessor’s 2024 report put Belmont Cragin median sale prices at $167,000 for a condo, $360,000 for a single-family home and $470,000 for a two-to-six-unit building (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). The Belmont and Central business district is in SSA 2 (City of Chicago SSA list). For how bills are set and how to appeal, see our property tax guide, and to weigh owning against renting, our rent vs. buy calculator.
Help buying a home
- HomeGrown (City of Chicago): purchase grants of $10,000 to $70,000 depending on income and which of two city zones the home is in, for buyers up to 150% of area median income, launched June 2026 with $21 million (Sun-Times).
- IHDAccess Home (State of Illinois): up to $15,000 for first-time buyers as a 0% deferred second mortgage (Governor’s office).
- Cook County Down Payment Assistance: 5% of the loan, up to $25,000, forgivable over five years (Cook County).
Belmont Cragin cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $1,400 | $75 | $56,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $818 | $75 | $32,720 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,635 | $75 | $65,400 |
Source: our calculation from the Zumper averages above (half of $1,635, rounded). 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 Northwest Side neighborhood profiles: Albany Park, Avondale, Bucktown, Dunning, Edison Park, Hermosa, Irving Park, Jefferson Park, Logan Square, Montclare, Norwood Park, O’Hare, Old Irving Park, Portage Park and Sauganash and Forest Glen.
Costs that apply in every neighborhood: property tax bills, closing costs and condo fees, water, sewer and garbage fees, ComEd and Peoples Gas, CTA fares, parking, average salaries by job and our Chicago cost index.
Sources
- Zumper: Belmont Cragin rent
- RentHop: 60639 rent
- RentHop: 60634 rent
- Metra: Hanson Park
- Metra: Galewood
- Metra: Mars
- Metra fare table
- Chicago Park District: Riis Park
- City of Chicago: SSA list
- Sun-Times: HomeGrown program
- IHDAccess Home
- Cook County Down Payment Assistance
- 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