Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in North Lawndale rents for about $1,150 to $1,375 a month in fall 2026, single-family homes sold for a median $225,000 in 2024, and the city’s Missing Middle program is building more than 100 new homes for sale to owner-occupants.
North Lawndale is on the West Side between the Eisenhower Expressway and Cermak Road, with greystones along Douglas Boulevard and 162-acre Douglass Park. It’s one of the most affordable neighborhoods in the city, and one where the city is actively building new homes. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,150 a month, runs about $929 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 19th lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.
| Typical one-bedroom | $1,150 a month |
| Typical two-bedroom | $1,500 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $46,000 a year |
| L lines | Pink, Blue |
| Metra | BNSF nearby |
| Part of the city | West Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Parking · Taxes and home prices · New homes for sale · Buyer help · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Zumper (avg., Oct 2026) | RentHop, ZIP 60623 (avg., Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $860 | $1,050 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,150 | $1,375 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,500 | $1,600 |
| 3 bedrooms | $1,800 | $1,800 |
Source: Zumper North Lawndale rent research, updated October 14, 2026; RentHop 60623, which also covers Little Village. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- L: Pink Line at Kedzie, Central Park, Pulaski and Kostner, and the Blue Line at Kedzie-Homan and Pulaski along the Eisenhower on the north edge. From the City of Chicago’s list of L stops.
- Metra: the Cicero station at 26th and Cicero is Zone 2: $3.75 one way (Metra fares). See Metra fares.
- Buses: routes along Roosevelt (#12), 16th/18th (#18), Cermak (#21), Kedzie (#52), Pulaski (#53) and Homan (#82).
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| ALDI (south) | 3030 S. Kedzie Ave. |
| Pete’s Fresh Market (east) | 2526 W. Cermak Rd. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Parks
Douglass Park at 1401 S. Sacramento Dr. covers 162 acres with an outdoor pool, spray features, a turf soccer field, a football stadium, mini golf, fishing and formal flower gardens (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 North Lawndale median sale prices at $100,000 for a condo, $225,000 for a single-family home and $326,000 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.
New homes for sale
Under the city’s Missing Middle pilot, developers bought 44 city lots in North Lawndale for $1 each and can get up to $150,000 per unit in construction help, with finished homes sold to owner-occupants at market prices (City of Chicago). The city selected five developers in January 2025 for 112 homes in total (City of Chicago, round 1). The first, 27 homes in nine three-flats called the Trumbull Collection, broke ground in July 2026 with completion expected in 2027 (Hoodline). Sale prices haven’t been published yet.
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).
North Lawndale cost of living: a sample monthly budget
| Setup | Rent | CTA pass | Income needed at 30% rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own one-bedroom | $1,150 | $75 | $46,000 |
| Half of a two-bedroom | $750 | $75 | $30,000 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,500 | $75 | $60,000 |
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 West Side neighborhood profiles: Austin, East and West Garfield Park, Galewood, Humboldt Park, Little Italy and University Village, Little Village, Pilsen, Ukrainian Village and Wicker Park.
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 Lawndale rent
- RentHop: 60623 rent
- Metra: Cicero
- Metra fare table
- Pete’s Fresh Market: Cermak and Rockwell
- Chicago Park District: Douglass Park
- City of Chicago: Missing Middle
- City of Chicago: Missing Middle round 1
- Hoodline: Trumbull Collection
- 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