Key takeaway: A one-bedroom near DePaul averages about $2,650 a month in 2026, large managed buildings in Sheffield average $4,090 across all sizes, and homes sold for a median $802,500 in early 2026.
The DePaul and Sheffield Neighbors area is the part of Lincoln Park around DePaul University’s campus, with brick three-flats, rowhouses, student apartments and the Fullerton L station. Many leases here turn over in late spring and summer around the school year. See our Lincoln Park page for the wider area. Its typical one-bedroom, about $2,650 a month, runs about $571 above the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 9th highest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $2,650 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $4,000 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $106,000 a year |
| L lines | Red, Brown, Purple |
| Metra | None |
| Part of the city | North Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | RentHop, DePaul (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Studio | $2,195 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,650 |
| 2 bedrooms | $4,000 |
| 3 bedrooms | $5,540 |
Source: RentHop DePaul; RentCafe Sheffield, updated September 12, 2026, shows a $4,090 average across all unit sizes in buildings with 50 or more units. A student-oriented studio at Arlington Apartments, 536 W. Arlington Pl., listed at about $1,400 with heat and internet included on a lease starting July 1. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- L trains: Fullerton on the Red, Brown and Purple lines, at the edge of campus (City of Chicago L stop data). 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).
- Buses: #74 Fullerton, #8 Halsted and #9 Ashland.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| 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.
Parks
Oz Park at 2021 N. Burling St. covers about 14 acres with a fieldhouse, gym, tennis, a playground and the Emerald City Gardens.
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
Redfin counted a median sale price of $802,500 in the DePaul area for the three months ending March 2026, down 18% from a year earlier, from a small number of sales (Redfin). The Assessor’s 2024 medians for all of Lincoln Park were $540,000 for a condo, $1.398 million for a multi-family building and $1.55 million 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). 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.
DePaul Area cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $2,650 | $75 | $106,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $2,000 | $75 | $80,000 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $4,000 | $75 | $160,000 |
Source: our calculation from the RentHop DePaul figures above (half of $4,000, 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, Edgewater, Lakeview, Lakeview East and Northalsted, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, North Center, North Park, 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
- RentHop: DePaul rent
- RentCafe: Sheffield rent
- DePaul off-campus housing: Arlington Apartments
- Redfin: DePaul housing market
- City of Chicago: L stops
- CTA fares
- Trader Joe’s: Lincoln Park
- Chicago Park District: Oz Park
- 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