Chatham Cost of Living 2026: Chicago Rent, Transit, Homes

Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in Chatham rents for about $1,010 to $1,410 a month in fall 2026, two-bedrooms about $1,300 to $1,560, and single-family homes sold for a median $180,000 in 2024, with four Metra Electric stations and the Red Line for the trip downtown.

Chatham is on the South Side around 79th Street, between the Dan Ryan and Cottage Grove, with blocks of brick bungalows. It’s one of the most affordable places in Chicago to rent or buy a house. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,010 a month, runs about $1,069 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 3rd lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.

Typical one-bedroom	$1,010 a month
Typical two-bedroom	$1,300 a month
Income for your own one-bedroom	About $40,400 a year
L lines	Red
Metra	Metra Electric
Part of the city	South Side

At a glance, October 2026. Rents are the figures used in the sample budget below; income is our calculation, rent times 40.

Chatham cost of living: typical one-bedroom $1,010 and two-bedroom $1,300 a month, compared with $2,079 and $2,516 citywide — Typical rents in Chatham compared with the citywide typical (Zillow, September 2026). Neighborhood figures are the ones in the table above; income is our calculation, rent times 40.

On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parking · Taxes and home prices · New homes for sale · Buyer help · Sample budget

Rent by apartment size

Unit	Zumper (avg., Oct 2026)	RentHop (Oct 2026)
Studio	$880	$1,000
1 bedroom	$1,010	$1,413
2 bedrooms	$1,300	$1,563
3 bedrooms	$1,650	$2,050

Source: Zumper Chatham rent research, updated October 5, 2026; RentHop Chatham. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.

Getting around

L: Red Line at 79th and 87th along the Dan Ryan. From the City of Chicago’s list of L stops.
Metra Electric: 79th St./Chatham, 83rd Street/Avalon Park, 87th Street/Woodruff and 91st Street/Chesterfield, all Zone 2: $3.75 one way or $75 a month (Metra fares). The rebuilt 79th Street station reopened in December 2024 (Metra). The rebuilt 87th Street/Woodruff station reopened on October 6, 2025 (Metra). See Metra fares.
Buses: #79 79th, #87 87th, #95 95th and #4 Cottage Grove.

A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).

Groceries nearby

Store	Address
Jewel-Osco 87th and State	87 W. 87th St.
ALDI	7345 S. State St.
ALDI	7800 S. South Chicago Ave.
ALDI	8500 S. Holland Rd.

Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.

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 Chatham median sale prices at $50,000 for a condo, $180,000 for a single-family home and $348,000 for a two-to-six-unit building (Cook County Assessor, 2024 Chicago report). The Treasurer put the 2024 median for the wider area including Chatham, Roseland and Pullman at $153,000 (Cook County Treasurer, tax year 2024 report). Citywide, the median Chicago homeowner bill for tax year 2025, mailed in August 2026, was $4,597, up 3.2% (Cook County Treasurer).

Businesses along the main commercial streets are in SSA 51, run by the Chatham Business Association (City of Chicago SSA list). For how bills are set and how to appeal, see our property tax guide.

New homes for sale

Through the city’s Missing Middle program, builders buy city lots in West Chatham for $1 and get up to $150,000 per unit in construction help (City of Chicago). The City Council approved four three-flats on the 500 block of West 81st Street in January 2026, each to be sold to an owner who lives in the building (Urbanize Chicago).

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). Funds are first-come, first-served and applications were under review in September 2026 (The Resurrection Project).
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).

Chatham cost of living: a sample monthly budget

Setup	Rent	CTA pass	Income needed at 30% rent
Your own one-bedroom	$1,010	$75	$40,400
Half of a two-bedroom	$650	$75	$26,000
Your own two-bedroom	$1,300	$75	$52,000

Source: our calculation from the Zumper averages 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 South Side neighborhood profiles: Archer Heights, Ashburn, Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park, Back of the Yards and Canaryville, Beverly, Bridgeport, Brighton Park, Bronzeville, Burnside, Calumet Heights, Chicago Lawn, Chinatown, Clearing, East Side, Englewood, Fuller Park, Gage Park, Garfield Ridge, Greater Grand Crossing, Hegewisch, Hyde Park, Kenwood, McKinley Park, Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, Oakland, Pullman, Riverdale, Roseland, South Chicago, South Deering, South Shore, Washington Heights, Washington Park, West Elsdon, West Englewood, West Lawn, West Pullman and Woodlawn.

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.

Cost of living in Chatham, Chicago (2026)