Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in North Park rents for about $1,450 to $1,500 a month in 2026, single-family homes sold for a median $500,000 in 2024, and a 58-acre nature center sits inside the neighborhood.
North Park is on the Far North Side between Albany Park and Sauganash, home to two universities, the North Branch of the river and quiet blocks of brick homes. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,500 a month, runs about $579 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 44th lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,500 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $1,900 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $60,000 a year |
| L lines | None (Brown Line nearby) |
| Metra | None |
| Part of the city | North Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Free to use · What is changing · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Zumper (avg., Oct 2026) | RentHop (avg., Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,300 | $1,090 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,500 | $1,450 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,900 | $2,225 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,200 | $2,695 |
Source: Zumper North Park rent research, updated October 11, 2026; RentHop North Park. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- Buses: #82 Kimball-Homan to the Brown Line at Kimball, #11 Lincoln, #53 Pulaski, #92 Foster and #84 Peterson. CTA fares are $2.25 a bus ride and $2.50 a train ride with Ventra, or $75 for a 30-day pass (CTA fares).
- Train: no L or Metra stop is in the neighborhood; the Brown Line terminal at Kimball is just south in Albany Park.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewel-Osco Foster and Pulaski | 4042 W. Foster Ave. |
| Trader Joe’s (coming) | 6191 N. Lincoln Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Free to use
The North Park Village Nature Center at 5801 N. Pulaski Rd. is a natural area of more than 58 acres, open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What is changing
A Trader Joe’s is coming to Lincoln Village at 6191 N. Lincoln Ave.; the lease is signed, and no opening date has been announced (CBS Chicago).
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 North Park median sale prices at $283,000 for a condo, $500,000 for a single-family home and $600,000 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). 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.
North Park cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $1,500 | $75 | $60,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $950 | $75 | $38,000 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,900 | $75 | $76,000 |
Source: our calculation from the Zumper figures above (half of $1,900, 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 North Side neighborhood profiles: Andersonville, DePaul and Sheffield, Edgewater, Lakeview, Lakeview East and Northalsted, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, North Center, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, Roscoe Village, Uptown, West Ridge and Wrigleyville.
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: North Park rent
- RentHop: North Park rent
- CTA: #82
- CTA: #11
- CTA: #53
- CTA: #92
- CTA fares
- Jewel-Osco: Foster and Pulaski
- Trader Joe’s: Lincoln Village
- CBS Chicago: Trader Joe’s in North Park
- Chicago Park District: North Park Village Nature Center
- 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