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

Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in South Shore rents for about $1,100 to $1,325 a month in fall 2026, condos sold for a median $90,000 and single-family homes for $160,000 in 2024, and five Metra Electric stations run along the neighborhood.

South Shore runs along the lake from 67th to 79th Street, south of Jackson Park, with lakefront high-rises, vintage courtyard buildings and the South Shore Cultural Center. It has some of the lowest home prices on the Chicago lakefront. Its typical one-bedroom, about $1,100 a month, runs about $979 below the citywide typical of $2,079 (Zillow, September 2026), the 15th lowest of the 92 areas in our neighborhood comparison.

Typical one-bedroom	$1,100 a month
Typical two-bedroom	$1,400 a month
Income for your own one-bedroom	About $44,000 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 Shore cost of living: typical one-bedroom $1,100 and two-bedroom $1,400 a month, compared with $2,079 and $2,516 citywide — Typical rents in South Shore 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 · The lakefront · Parking · Property taxes, home prices and renter protections · Buyer help · Sample budget

Rent by apartment size

Unit	Zumper (avg., Oct 2026)	RentHop (median, Oct 2026)	RentCafe (avg., Sep 2026)
Studio	$905	$1,098	$981
1 bedroom	$1,100	$1,200	$1,323
2 bedrooms	$1,400	$1,495	$1,774
3 bedrooms	$1,797	$1,800	n/a

Source: Zumper South Shore rent research, updated October 25, 2026; RentHop South Shore; RentCafe South Shore, updated September 1, 2026. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.

Getting around

Metra Electric (South Chicago branch): Stony Island, Bryn Mawr, South Shore, 75th Street/Windsor Park and 79th Street/Cheltenham, all Zone 2 at $3.75 one way (Metra Electric; Metra fares). See Metra fares.
Buses: #71 71st/South Shore, #79 79th, #28 Stony Island, #J14 Jeffery Jump and the #6 Jackson Park Express to downtown.
L: no station in South Shore.

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

Groceries nearby

Store	Address
Jewel-Osco Stony Island	7530 S. Stony Island Ave.
ALDI (south)	2333 E. 95th St.

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

The lakefront

The South Shore Cultural Center at 7059 S. South Shore Dr. is a Chicago Park District facility on the lake, open daily 7am to 7pm with metered parking (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, home prices and renter protections

The Assessor’s 2024 report put South Shore median sale prices at $90,000 for a condo, $160,000 for a single-family home and $310,000 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 71st Street and Stony Island are in SSA 42 (City SSA map). 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.

The city’s Jackson Park Housing Pilot covers the area from 60th to 71st Street east of King Drive and South Chicago Avenue. It sets aside affordable homes on 30 city-owned lots, offers $5,000 grants toward overdue property taxes, and requires landlords to give 120 days’ notice before ending a lease for tenants of at least one year and 180 days for tenants of three years or more (WTTW; Sun-Times).

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 Shore cost of living: a sample monthly budget

Setup	Rent	CTA pass	Income needed at 30% rent
Your own one-bedroom	$1,100	$75	$44,000
Half of a two-bedroom	$700	$75	$28,000
Your own two-bedroom	$1,400	$75	$56,000

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, 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 Chicago, South Deering, 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 Shore, Chicago (2026)