Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in Galewood rents for about $1,475 a month in fall 2026, two-bedrooms about $1,635, and Metra’s Galewood station gets you downtown for $3.75 one way.
Galewood is the northwest corner of the Austin community area, along the Oak Park and Elmwood Park borders, a quiet area of single-family homes with its own Metra stop. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,475 a month, runs about $604 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 42nd lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,475 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $1,635 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $59,000 a year |
| L lines | None |
| Metra | Milwaukee District West |
| Part of the city | West Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Buyer help · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | RentHop (median, Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,550 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,475 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,635 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,000 |
Source: RentHop Galewood. Zumper doesn’t publish Galewood figures separately; see our Austin profile for the wider area. Few studios are listed. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- Metra: Galewood station on the Milwaukee District West Line at 2031 N. Narragansett Ave., Zone 2: $3.75 one way or $75 a month (Metra fares). See Metra fares.
- Buses: #86 Narragansett/Ridgeland to the Green Line, #72 North and #90 Harlem.
- L: no station in Galewood; the Green Line is south at Harlem/Lake and Ridgeland via the #86 bus.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewel-Osco Narragansett and Diversey | 2520 N. Narragansett Ave. |
| ALDI | 6520 W. Fullerton Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Parks
Amundsen Park at 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave. has a fieldhouse, gym, fitness center, running track and water feature (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
Galewood is part of the Austin community area, where the Assessor’s 2024 report put median sale prices at $130,000 for a condo, $275,000 for a single-family home and $318,000 for a two-to-six-unit building (Cook County Assessor, 2024 Chicago report). Galewood’s single-family homes tend to sell above the Austin-wide median. Citywide, the median Chicago homeowner bill for tax year 2025, mailed in August 2026, was $4,597, up 3.2% (Cook County Treasurer). 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).
Galewood cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $1,475 | $75 | $59,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $818 | $75 | $32,720 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,635 | $75 | $65,400 |
Source: our calculation from the RentHop medians 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 West Side neighborhood profiles: Austin, East and West Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Little Italy and University Village, Little Village, North Lawndale, Pilsen, Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park.
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
- RentHop: Galewood rent
- Metra: Galewood
- Metra fare table
- CTA: #86 Narragansett/Ridgeland
- Chicago Park District: Amundsen Park
- 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