Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in McKinley Park rents for about $1,400 to $1,600 a month in 2026, two-bedrooms about $2,125 in newer listings, and the neighborhood’s 72-acre park has a pool and fieldhouse.
McKinley Park sits on the Southwest Side between Bridgeport and Brighton Park, along Archer Avenue and the Orange Line. It’s one of the more affordable neighborhoods with fast rail service downtown. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,395 a month, runs about $684 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 38th lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,395 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $2,125 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $55,800 a year |
| L lines | Orange |
| Metra | None nearby |
| Part of the city | South Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | RentHop (avg., Oct 2026) | Zumper (avg., Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,300 | $1,425 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,600 | $1,395 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,125 | $1,297 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,325 | $2,383 |
Source: RentHop McKinley Park; Zumper McKinley Park, updated September 26, 2026. Zumper notes its McKinley Park data is limited, which is why its two-bedroom figure comes in below its one-bedroom figure. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- L: Orange Line at 35th/Archer and Ashland. From the City of Chicago’s list of L stops.
- Buses: #9 Ashland, #62 Archer, #49 Western and #35 31st/35th.
- Metra: no station in McKinley Park; the Rock Island’s 35th Street station is a short bus ride east. See Metra fares.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Target McKinley Park | 1940 W. 33rd St. |
| Jewel-Osco Archer and Western | 3644 S. Archer Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Parks
McKinley Park, the park, covers 71.75 acres at 2210 W. Pershing Rd. with a pool and fieldhouse (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
The Assessor’s 2024 report put McKinley Park median sale prices at $250,000 for a condo, $359,000 for a single-family home and $367,000 for a two-to-six-unit building (Cook County Assessor, 2024 Chicago report). The Treasurer put the 2024 median for the area including McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Armour Square and Pilsen at $355,000 (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). For how bills are set and how to appeal, see our property tax guide.
McKinley Park cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom (Zumper) | $1,395 | $75 | $55,800 |
| Your own one-bedroom (RentHop) | $1,600 | $75 | $64,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $1,063 | $75 | $42,520 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $2,125 | $75 | $85,000 |
Source: our calculation from the figures above (half of RentHop’s $2,125, 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, Garfield Ridge, Greater Grand Crossing, Hegewisch, Hyde Park, Kenwood, 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
- RentHop: McKinley Park rent
- Zumper: McKinley Park rent
- Chicago Park District: McKinley Park
- Cook County Treasurer: tax year 2024 report
- 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