Key takeaway: A one-bedroom in West Lawn rents for about $1,100 to $1,300 a month in 2026, single-family homes sold for a median $303,000 in 2024, and homes near Midway may qualify for the city’s sound insulation program.
West Lawn is on the Southwest Side east of Midway Airport, around 59th to 75th Street, with bungalow blocks and a busy shopping strip on Pulaski Road. 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 | $1,780 a month |
| Income for your own one-bedroom | About $52,000 a year |
| L lines | None (Orange Line nearby) |
| Metra | None |
| Part of the city | South Side |
On this page: Rent · Getting around · Groceries · Parks · Near Midway · Parking · Taxes and home prices · Buyer help · Sample budget
Rent by apartment size
| Unit | Zumper (avg., Oct 2026) | RentHop (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,000 | n/a |
| 1 bedroom | $1,300 | $1,100 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,780 | $1,550 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,250 | $2,000 |
Source: Zumper West Lawn rent research, updated October 15, 2026; RentHop West Lawn. We left out RentHop’s studio figure because it was higher than its own one-bedroom, a sign of very few listings. Sources differ because they track different listings; see why rent reports disagree.
Getting around
- Buses: #53A South Pulaski to the Orange Line at Pulaski, plus #79 79th and #87 87th. CTA fares are $2.25 a ride or $75 for 30 days (CTA fares).
- Train: no Metra stop is in the neighborhood; the Orange Line’s Midway and Pulaski stations are just north.
A 30-day CTA pass is $75 (CTA).
Groceries nearby
| Store | Address |
|---|---|
| Pete’s Fresh Market West Lawn | 5838 S. Pulaski Rd. |
| Target (groceries) | 7100 S. Cicero Ave. |
| ALDI | 8333 S. Cicero Ave. |
Source: each store’s own location page or locator, checked October 25, 2026. See our Chicago grocery guide.
Parks
West Lawn Park at 4233 W. 65th St. has a fieldhouse, gym, fitness center, spray pool, dog-friendly area and pickleball (Chicago Park District).
Near Midway
The city’s Midway sound insulation program has insulated 10,177 homes near the airport, at a total cost of more than $236 million (Chicago Department of Aviation). Check the program page to see whether a specific address qualifies.
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 West Lawn median sale prices at $105,000 for a condo, $303,000 for a single-family home and $372,000 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.
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).
West Lawn 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 | $890 | $75 | $35,600 |
| Your own two-bedroom | $1,780 | $75 | $71,200 |
Source: our calculation from the Zumper figures above (half of $1,780, 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 Chicago, South Deering, South Shore, Washington Heights, Washington Park, West Elsdon, West Englewood, 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: West Lawn rent
- RentHop: West Lawn rent
- CTA: #53A
- Pete’s Fresh Market: West Lawn
- Target: Bedford Park
- Chicago Park District: West Lawn Park
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Midway sound insulation
- 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