South Chicago Cost of Living 2026: Rent, Metra, Homes

Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in South Chicago rents for about $970 to $1,175 a month in 2026, single-family homes sold for a median $153,000 in 2024, and the former US Steel South Works site next door is becoming the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

South Chicago sits where the Calumet River meets Lake Michigan, a former steel neighborhood with a commercial strip on Commercial Avenue and the Metra Electric South Chicago branch ending at 93rd Street. Its typical one-bedroom, about $970 a month, runs about $1,109 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.

Typical one-bedroom	$970 a month
Typical two-bedroom	$1,200 a month
Income for your own one-bedroom	About $38,800 a year
L lines	None
Metra	Metra Electric (South Chicago branch)
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.

South Chicago cost of living: typical one-bedroom $970 and two-bedroom $1,200 a month, compared with $2,079 and $2,516 citywide — Typical rents in South Chicago 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 · Free to use · What is changing · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Buyer help · Sample budget

Rent by apartment size

Unit	Zumper (avg., Oct 2026)	RentHop (Oct 2026)
Studio	$815	n/a
1 bedroom	$970	$1,175
2 bedrooms	$1,200	$1,500
3 bedrooms	$1,550	$1,850

Source: Zumper South Chicago rent research, updated October 14, 2026; RentHop South Chicago. We left out RentHop’s studio figure because it rested on two listings. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.

Getting around

Metra Electric South Chicago branch: 87th Street (778 parking spaces) and 93rd Street/South Chicago (1,144 spaces), both Zone 2: $3.75 one way or $75 a month (Metra fares). See Metra fares.
Buses: #30 South Chicago to the Red Line at 69th and to Hegewisch, and #95 95th to the Red Line at 95th, with overnight #N5 service. 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).

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

Groceries nearby

Store	Address
ALDI	2333 E. 95th St.
Jewel-Osco 95th and Stony Island	1655 E. 95th St.

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

Free to use

Steelworkers Park at 87th Street and the lake covers about 17 acres of the old South Works site, with paths, a climbing wall on the historic ore wall and public art.

What is changing

The 440-acre Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park broke ground on the South Works site in September 2025; the first PsiQuantum building is expected in 2028, and plans include a hospital and more than 100 acres of parkland (Hyde Park Herald). SACRED Apartments at 9200 S. Burley Ave., with 81 affordable units and retail, was expected to finish in fall 2026 (CBS Chicago).

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 South Chicago median sale prices at $69,000 for a condo, $153,000 for a single-family home and $181,000 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). Businesses along Commercial Avenue are in SSA 5 (City of Chicago SSA list). 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.

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).

South Chicago cost of living: a sample monthly budget

Setup	Rent	CTA pass	Income needed at 30% rent
Your own one-bedroom	$970	$75	$38,800
Half of a two-bedroom	$600	$75	$24,000
Your own two-bedroom	$1,200	$75	$48,000

Source: our calculation from the Zumper figures above (half of $1,200, 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, McKinley Park, Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, Oakland, Pullman, Riverdale, Roseland, 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 South Chicago (2026)