Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Chicago

You consider moving to Chicago but want to get additional information about the city and living conditions before making our final decision in this regard?

Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Chicago in the following chapters.

Living in Chicago – Overview

Advantages of Living in Chicago

1. Housing shortage is not a big problem in Chicago yet
2. It will not take you long to find a good place to stay
3. Rents in Chicago are relatively low compared to other major cities
4. Average person is still able to afford to buy a home
5. Chicago offers big city life
6. Many places to socialize in Chicago
7. You will never get bored in Chicago
8. Many nature activities to choose from
9. Chicago offers the comfort of a big city
10. Decent public transport in the inner city
11. Good medical infrastructure
12. Many good jobs for highly-qualified people in Chicago
13. Many companies that offer decent jobs
14. You will find most things for daily life within walking distance
15. You can choose from many different neighborhoods
16. Chicago is surrounded by beautiful nature
17. More than enough recreational spaces to relax
18. Living costs in Chicago are not as high as in other major cities in the US
19. Decent nightlife in Chicago
20. Decent schools and colleges in Chicago
21. Chicago can be a great city for students
22. Chicago has a decent future outlook
23. You can enjoy real seasons in Chicago
24. Chicago is a culturally diverse place
25. You can have many interesting conversations
26. You can meet people from all over the world
27. Chicago is popular among tourists
28. You can try many different foods
29. More than enough entertainment options in Chicago
30. Decent shopping opportunities
31. Chicago has a decent art scene
32. Many interesting people living in Chicago
33. People in Chicago are pretty tolerant
34. You can make many new friends within a rather short period of time
35. Chicago has a big international airport
36. You will find many interesting museums
37. Average person can still make a decent living in Chicago
38. Chicago will not run out of water anytime soon
39. Chicago is not that vulnerable to natural disasters

Housing shortage is not a big problem in Chicago yet

One advantage of living in Chicago is that housing shortage is not a big problem yet.

While the average person often seriously struggles to pay for housing in other big cities in the US, this is still not a big problem in Chicago and the average person is able to afford a decent place to stay.

It will not take you long to find a good place to stay

Since demand for housing is not as high as in many other major cities, it will also not take you that long to find a suitable place to stay. In fact, you will find a suitable home pretty soon and will not have to search as long as in case you move to New York or other more popular cities.

Rents in Chicago are relatively low compared to other major cities

Another reason to move to Chicago is that you also don’t have to spend a high fraction of your income on rent yet since rents are much lower compared to other more popular cities in the US and you will therefore have more money left to spend on other things.

Average person is still able to afford to buy a home

Not only rents are pretty low, but also property prices are still affordable for the average person and you can really live the American dream with your own home even if you don’t make a six-figure income which would be needed to make a living in many other more expensive cities.

Chicago offers big city life

Since Chicago is one of the largest cities in the US, it also offers big city life and also has a certain unique vibe that you will not find in most other cities.

Thus, if you want to live in a busy city and you need to have something going on all day and night long, Chicago will be a great city to live in for you.

Many places to socialize in Chicago

Another upside to living in Chicago is that it is pretty easy to socialize.

In fact, you can find numerous places to chat with people and will have a pretty easy time making new connections in the long run.

You will never get bored in Chicago

Since Chicago has so many things to offer, chances are that you will never get bored and can just enjoy your leisure with the things you like most and will never run out of ideas in this regard.

Many nature activities to choose from

Another benefit of living in Chicago is that you also have many nature activities to choose from.

Since Chicago is directly located at Lake Michigan, you can go fishing, hiking, hunting and do many other things outdoors and this can really help you unplug and relax from your stressful life.

Chicago offers the comfort of a big city

Chicago is also a great city to live in since it offers the comfort of a big city.

You will just find everything you need to live a happy and convenient life and don’t have to commute to other cities for more specialized things as would be the case if you lived in smaller towns.

Decent public transport in the inner city

Chicago also offers decent public transport, at least in the inner city where it is relatively easy to get around by train or bus and you therefore don’t urgently need a car and can do good for our environment while you can also save lots of money on gas in the long run.

Good medical infrastructure

You should also know that Chicago has many good doctors and hospitals and you will therefore find decent medical treatment in case of emergency and don’t have to leave the city to get the best medical support possible.

Many good jobs for highly-qualified people in Chicago

Chicago also offers many great jobs to highly-qualified people and if you have skills needed in the job market right now, you can be pretty sure to make good money in Chicago and will also be able to afford a decent lifestyle.

Many companies that offer decent jobs

You will also have many companies to work for in many different sectors.

No matter whether you are an IT expert, financial consultant or an engineer, you will find more than enough big corporations where you can trade your skills and time for good money.

You will find most things for daily life within walking distance

Living in Chicago can also be great since you will find most things for daily life within walking distance and this means that you can just walk down the streets and within a couple of minutes, you will have what you were looking for and don’t have to wait long for things that make your life more comfortable.

You can choose from many different neighborhoods

Since Chicago is such a big city, you will also have many different neighborhoods to choose from according to your personal preferences and also in line with your budget so that you don’t have to overextend yourself financially and can also find a neighborhood with many like-minded people pretty easily.

Chicago is surrounded by beautiful nature

Since Chicago is located at a big lake, you can enjoy lots of beautiful nature.

Many people in Chicago go biking or just take a walk through forests to enjoy their leisure and to reload their batteries for the stressful times yet to come.

More than enough recreational spaces to relax

Not only does the Chicago region offer beautiful nature, but you will also find many spaces to relax and recover within city borders. For instance, you can enjoy your lunch break in a nice park and can unplug from work a little bit.

Living costs in Chicago are not as high as in other major cities in the US

While living costs in Chicago are above national average, they are still much lower compared to NYC or big cities on the West Coast.

Hence, if you are on a budget right now, you may rather want to move to Chicago instead of moving to Los Angeles since you would just not have to spend as much on drinks or other activities of daily life.

Decent nightlife in Chicago

You will also have many great bars and clubs in Chicago and chances are that you will never be able to check out all of them, especially since there are many new locations opening on a regular basis and you will therefore never run out of options in this regard.

Decent schools and colleges in Chicago

Another advantage of moving to Chicago is that you will have many decent schools and colleges to choose from.

Consequently, you can make sure that your kids get the best education possible and give them a head start for a fancy future career.

Chicago can be a great city for students

Not only colleges are decent, but also student life is great in Chicago since there are so many things to do for young people and the city is also more affordable compared to other major cities in the US where you would have to spend more money on housing and other things of daily life.

Chicago has a decent future outlook

Since Chicago is one of the biggest cities in the US, it is also a pretty important economic region and since there is a trend of people moving to big cities, Chicago will most likely stay an important place for many years to come and you don’t have to worry that public infrastructure might collapse anytime soon.

You can enjoy real seasons in Chicago

Since Chicago offers warm summers and cold winters, you can also enjoy real seasons and living in Chicago may therefore be more interesting compared to living in San Francisco where you would have warm climatic conditions all year long and may get bored with it in the long run.

Chicago is a culturally diverse place

Another upside to moving to Chicago is that the city is a culturally diverse place and is populated by people of many different ethnicities.

In turn, it is a pretty interesting place and you can also really grow in character since you will often have to adapt and react to different attitudes towards life.

You can have many interesting conversations

Since the city is such diverse, you can also have many interesting discussions with people from different social classes and this can really help you expand your knowledge and become more mature in general since you will become more tolerant and can see the world from a different perspective.

You can meet people from all over the world

Since people from all over the world are welcome in Chicago, you can make friends with people from many foreign countries and this can be great since you can visit them in their home countries and will have the support of locals in many different places of our beautiful planet.

Chicago is popular among tourists

Chicago is also a great place to live since you can also meet many tourists and have many awesome discussions with them since tourists often have the most interesting stories to share and you can also learn a lot in this regard in the long run.

You can try many different foods

Another benefit of moving to Chicago is that you can also try many different foods.

In fact, the city is famous for its variety of delicious dishes and you can therefore enjoy the best foods from all over the world.

More than enough entertainment options in Chicago

Chicago also offers lots of entertainment.

Not only will you have many famous sports teams to support, but you can also go to the movies, spend a night at the opera or do many other things you might like even more.

Decent shopping opportunities

Since Chicago is such a big city, you will also find more than enough shopping opportunities and if you are a fashion victim, Chicago will be one of the best places for you apart from Los Angeles and New York.

Chicago has a decent art scene

There are also many artists in Chicago and if you are an artist yourself or just passionate about art, you will find many like-minded people and can find many new friends that have similar interests as you do pretty soon.

Many interesting people living in Chicago

Since Chicago is a culturally diverse place, you will also find many interesting people with whom you can spend time with and chances are that you will never feel lonely and will also never get bored in this regard.

People in Chicago are pretty tolerant

Another reason why people move to Chicago is that the city is pretty tolerant and you will be welcome, no matter what your history is as long as you are friendly and respectful yourself and are also willing to help people out during difficult periods of their lives.

You can make many new friends within a rather short period of time

Since people are pretty friendly and open, it will also not take you long to make many new friends and social contacts once you move to Chicago and you don’t have to worry about becoming socially isolated as long as you are open and outgoing yourself and are also respectful enough so that people like to spend their time with you.

Chicago has a big international airport

It is also pretty easy to travel from Chicago to many different parts of the world since the city has a big international airport and it is therefore pretty easy to get around in this regard.

You will find many interesting museums

Chicago is also a great place to move for you if you are interested in museums since you will find many interesting exhibitions and can really enjoy your leisure for rather affordable amounts of money.

Average person can still make a decent living in Chicago

Since rents and living costs are not extremely high in Chicago yet, the average person can still make a decent living in Chicago and doesn’t struggle financially as much as people in other big and more expensive regions usually do.

Chicago will not run out of water anytime soon

Since Chicago is located at a big lake, Chicago will not run out of drinking water anytime soon while many other regions will suffer from serious water scarcity in the near future due to climate change.

Chicago is not that vulnerable to natural disasters

While many other cities have to deal with floods, wildfires or earthquakes, Chicago is not that vulnerable in this regard, even though you might get unlucky and those things may also hit you in the future.

As you can see, there are many good reasons for moving to Chicago.

However, it is still not all perfect and we also have to talk about the downsides of living in Chicago so that you get a more realistic picture of reality and can better decide whether you still want to move to Chicago or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Chicago

1. Population has been decreasing over the past decade
2. Crime rates are pretty high
3. Chicago is not the best place to live for families
4. Chicago doesn’t have good reputation anymore
5. Chicago has high unemployment rates for low-qualified people
6. Homelessness has become a serious problem
7. Overall level of inequality has increased over the past decade
8. Social tensions have increased as well
9. Chicago is not directly located at the beach
10. Many people plan to leave the city in the near future
11. Traffic is a big problem
12. You may have a hard time finding a parking lot in Chicago
13. Chicago is pretty crowded
14. Chicago is a hectic city
15. People are often in a rush
16. People in Chicago often don’t have time to help you out
17. Chicago is not a good place to live if you don’t like big city life
18. Common problems of a big city in Chicago
19. It takes time to get from one end of Chicago to the other
20. Chicago is not the most popular city
21. Chicago is not a bike-friendly city
22. Public transport is pretty poor in the suburbs
23. You may not feel safe in Chicago
24. You have pretty cold winters in Chicago
25. You can’t spend that much time outdoors
26. Air quality is pretty poor in the inner city
27. People are not as relaxed as in many other cities
28. Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future
29. Rents may increase further
30. Average person may no longer be able to afford to live in Chicago anymore
31. Some neighborhoods in Chicago are pretty dodgy
32. You will not meet that many celebrities
33. Chicago is not as flashy as New York City
34. People in Chicago often work long hours

Population has been decreasing over the past decade

One downside to living in Chicago is that population has been decreasing over the past decade and if this trend continues, many people may leave the region and part of the city’s charm may be lost in the long run.

Crime rates are pretty high

You should also know that crime rates in Chicago are pretty high and you may become victim to serious incidents much more likely than in other big cities in the US.

Hence, if security is one of your main goals, chances are that you don’t want to move to Chicago but rather move to New York or a different city where crime rates are lower.

Chicago is not the best place to live for families

Since crime rates are pretty high in Chicago, it is also not the best place to live for families since you always have to worry that your kids get involved in serious incidents or may even lose their lives sooner or later.

Chicago doesn’t have good reputation anymore

Due to many bad incidents in the past, Chicago also doesn’t have the best reputation anymore and many people therefore leave the region.

In turn, your friends may also not understand your decision of moving to Chicago and you may have many serious discussions in this regard.

Chicago has high unemployment rates for low-qualified people

Another reason not to move to Chicago is that unemployment rates among low-qualified people are pretty high and if you don’t have a fancy college degree, chances are that you will end up with a poor job or no job at all and may not be able to make a decent living for you and your family.

Homelessness has become a serious problem

You should also know that homelessness has become a serious problem in Chicago and may become even worse in the future in case rents increase even further and an increasing number of people will no longer be able to afford housing anymore.

Overall level of inequality has increased over the past decade

Another problem with living in Chicago is that overall level of inequality has significantly increased over the past decade.

Not only has this led to higher crime rates, but people have also become less friendly and more self-focused and overall quality of life has suffered quite a lot.

Social tensions have increased as well

Due to the increasing gap between the poor and the rich, also social tensions have become more common and people from different social classes don’t interact with each other that much anymore and social cohesion has suffered quite a lot over the past decade.

Chicago is not directly located at the beach

Another disadvantage of living in Chicago is that the city is not directly located at the beach.

While you have a nice lake to go fishing or swimming, it is just not the same as having a beach where you can go surfing and enjoy other watersports and if you want to do those things in your leisure, chances are that you would be better off moving to Long Beach or other regions directly at the coast.

Many people plan to leave the city in the near future

Since crime rates have increased significantly, many people have already left the region and this trend may continue in the future.

In turn, many traditions may be lost in the long run and the city of Chicago may become increasingly boring.

Traffic is a big problem

Since Chicago is a big city with lots of traffic, traffic jams are also a big problem and you may lose lots of time in traffic when you commute to work and back and this may become really annoying in the long run.

You may have a hard time finding a parking lot in Chicago

Not only traffic is a big problem, but there is also a lack of parking lots in Chicago and you will therefore often have to spend lots of time and money finding one of the few parking lots, especially in the inner city where it is almost impossible to do so.

Chicago is pretty crowded

Another disadvantage of moving to Chicago is that the city is pretty crowded and you don’t have much privacy or space for yourself but have to share public space with many people.

In turn, you will have a hard time finding a place where you are on your own to relax from your stressful life for a while.

Chicago is a hectic city

Like many other big cities, Chicago is also pretty hectic and people will often run down the streets.

Also noise pollution will be really high and your brain may not be able to digest all those impressions in an emotionally healthy manner in the long run.

People are often in a rush

Similar to New York, people in Chicago are also pretty career-focused and will often be in a rush to get from one important meeting to the other and may not have any time left for other things.

People in Chicago often don’t have time to help you out

Since people are often in a rush, people in Chicago will also often not find the time to help you out and will rather ignore you and you may be on your own in case you get in trouble and have to find your own solutions instead of relying on third parties in this regard.

Chicago is not a good place to live if you don’t like big city life

While many people like busy cities and big city life in general, others don’t like the hectic atmosphere and if you belong to the second group of people, you will be better off moving to a smaller town where life is more relaxed compared to living in Chicago.

Common problems of a big city in Chicago

Another downside to moving to Chicago is that you will also have to deal with many problems that come along with big city life, including the consumption of dodgy substances, people rioting in public and so on and if you don’t want to see those things, you may be better off moving to a smaller and more peaceful place.

It takes time to get from one end of Chicago to the other

Since Chicago is such a big city, it is also pretty hard to get from one end of the city to the other within a reasonable amount of time and you will often get stuck in traffic and it may therefore take you quite long to visit friends living in different parts of the city.

Chicago is not the most popular city

While Chicago is a well-known city all over the US, it has still not the same high level of prestige and glamor compared to NYC or L.A. and also doesn’t have the best reputation.

Chicago is not a bike-friendly city

Most people in Chicago also get around by car and you should also know that Chicago is not the most bike-friendly city and that going around by bike may also be not the safest option since you might easily get run over by cars sooner or later.

Public transport is pretty poor in the suburbs

While public transport is pretty decent in the inner city, it is pretty poor in the suburbs in Chicago and if you want to move to those places, you would most likely need a car to get around in an efficient manner.

You may not feel safe in Chicago

Due to high crime rates and unpleasant incidents in the past, many people also don’t feel safe in Chicago, especially at nighttime and this can also greatly lower your overall quality of life in the long run.

You have pretty cold winters in Chicago

While you can enjoy real seasons and the snow, you will also have pretty cold winters and if you rather want to have cozy temperatures all year long, moving to Chicago may not be great for you and you may rather want to move to Anaheim or other cities on the West Coast.

You can’t spend that much time outdoors

Since winters are pretty cold, you will also not spend as much time outdoors as in warmer climatic zones and this may really be depressing in the long run.

Air quality is pretty poor in the inner city

Another problem with moving to Chicago is that air quality in the inner city is pretty poor due to heavy traffic and this may cause serious health problems sooner or later and may also decrease overall quality of life in general.

People are not as relaxed as in many other cities

You should also note that people in Chicago are not as relaxed as in many other parts of the country and you may therefore not feel as welcome and may also not get that much support from locals since they often just have more important things to do.

Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future

While housing shortage is not a big problem yet, it may become a serious problem just a few years from now and people may no longer find a suitable place to stay and may have to leave the region.

Rents may increase further

If the housing market gets hotter, also rents may increase further and many people may just no longer be able to afford to live in Chicago anymore and may have to leave the city.

Average person may no longer be able to afford to live in Chicago anymore

Due to increasing rents, the average person as well as locals may also no longer be able to afford a decent lifestyle anymore and may really financially struggle in the long run.

Some neighborhoods in Chicago are pretty dodgy

You should also know that some neighborhoods in Chicago are pretty dodgy and you should avoid buying a home or renting a flat in those neighborhoods at all costs if you want to have high quality of life and don’t want to run into serious problems.

You will not meet that many celebrities

While Chicago is a pretty big city, not that many celebrities live in this city and most celebrities rather want to live in L.A. or NYC instead.

Hence, if your goal is to live where your idols live and if you want to see those people in person, moving to Chicago may not be the best decision for you in this regard.

Chicago is not as flashy as New York City

While Chicago is pretty famous, it is still not as flashy and popular as New York City and if you love glamor, chances are that you will be better off in NYC instead of Chicago.

People in Chicago often work long hours

People in Chicago also often work long hours to make a living and this trend may become even worse in the future in case property prices and rents increase further and people have to work even longer to pay their bills.

Top 10 Moving To Chicago Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Move To Chicago?

As you can see, there are many reasons to move to Chicago.

Not only is it a big city and has a lot to offer, but also living and housing costs are relatively low compared to other major cities in the US.

However, Chicago is also not the safest city and also doesn’t offer the same high quality of life as other cities.

Hence, you should evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Chicago carefully to avoid common mistakes and make the best possible decision in this regard.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Chicago anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Sacramento

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Oakland

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San José

Sources

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en.html

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.