Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in Garfield Ridge rents for about $1,300 to $1,400 a month in fall 2026, two-bedrooms about $1,475 to $1,725, single-family homes sold for a median $325,000 in 2024, and Midway Airport and the Orange Line are right there.
Garfield Ridge is on the Southwest Side around Midway Airport, a neighborhood of brick bungalows and Georgians. You get airport and Orange Line access at some of the lower home prices in the city. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,300 a month, runs about $779 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 33rd lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,300 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $1,725 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $52,000 a year |
| L lines | Orange |
| Metra | None |
| Part of the city | South Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parking · Taxes and home prices · What could change · Buyer help · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Zumper (avg., Sep 2026) | RentHop (avg., Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,047 | $1,250 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,725 | $1,475 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,690 | $2,188 |
Source: Zumper Garfield Ridge rent research, updated September 13, 2026; RentHop Garfield Ridge. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- L: the Orange Line ends at Midway (City of Chicago list of L stops).
- Buses: #55 Garfield and #63 63rd from Midway, #62 Archer and #54B South Cicero.
- Air travel: Midway Airport is inside the neighborhood.
- Metra: no station in Garfield Ridge.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewel-Osco Archer and Austin | 6107 S. Archer Ave. |
| ALDI | 5501 S. Harlem Ave. |
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 Garfield Ridge median sale prices at $145,000 for a condo, $325,000 for a single-family home and $460,000 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.
What could change
Proposed leases at Midway would bring more than $100 million of work on private terminals and hangars; they still need full City Council approval (Hoodline).
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).
Garfield Ridge cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $1,300 | $75 | $52,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $863 | $75 | $34,520 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,725 | $75 | $69,000 |
Source: our calculation from the Zumper averages above (half of $1,725, 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 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, Chatham, Chicago Lawn, Chinatown, Clearing, East Side, Englewood, Fuller Park, Gage Park, 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.
Sources
- Zumper: Garfield Ridge rent
- RentHop: Garfield Ridge rent
- Hoodline: Midway private terminals
- 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