Chicago is the gem of Illinois - the most populous city in the Midwest. Over two million people call this home. This is a melting pot of cultures and businesses because many people from around the world move here. Its diverse neighborhoods host a wide variety of communities, from Mexican to Italian, African to Asian, and so on.
The Windy City has long been an urban center. It has cemented its place in history. For starters, French explorers, missionaries, and fur traders arrived in the 17th century, followed by a US Army fort. By 1837, business started booming as Northern businessmen saw the real estate potential in Chicago's emerging transportation hub.
It also offers many things to people who want to move here. But not everything glitters in Chicago.
This may seem counterintuitive because I am a real estate agent and I should want you to move to our area, but I gotta get real with you. It is my fiduciary duty to guide you to make the right call.
Different disadvantages of living in Chicago
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Congestion
Here’s the first I gotta warn you about - Chicago traffic. The city is overpopulated, with all the business centers and urban dwellers. And as much as it is a hub for economic growth, the Windy City suffers from severe traffic congestion and inadequate parking.
This makes Chicago a poor place for car users. Chicagoans waste a lot of time - 26% more than average - on travel time due to long lines of traffic. In particular, traffic peaks from 6 am to 8 pm and dips slightly in the early afternoon. And that is a lot of wasted hours that you could use for self-care, side hustles, or fun activities!
Another key factor to traffic is the toll roads. These roads are pretty much inescapable when coming in and out of the city and will cost you significantly more if you do not own an IPASS.
Parking is another issue, the slots fill up fast. And you’d need to pay a lot for parking near your destination.
Sign up for discount parking services to save up on fees and reserve your slot. I am talking about apps such as park chirp or spot hero
But you shouldn’t worry about traveling within Chicago. It is a very walkable city with a walk score of 77! Not into walking? The grid-like map will make it easy to travel with trains and buses that transfer on most intersections.
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High property taxes
Another big disadvantage to moving to Chicago is the high taxes, especially property tax. The high tax rates contribute to the high cost of living. Homeowners spend at least 1.55% on their property taxes because Illinois has the second-highest property tax in the United States.
Chicagoans also pay a wide variety of taxes. For starters, the starting sales tax rate here is 10.25% (combined state, county, and city sales tax rates). There are more than twenty-five specialty taxes and fees, including taxes on parking, gas, liquor, soda, and streaming videos.
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High crime rates
If there’s anything that defines Chicago the most, it’s the high crime rates. Chicago has a wild, checkered political history. It suffers from corruption and unsolved injustices.
Chicago is infamous as the home of the icons of Midwest crime such as John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Al Capone. There are even memorials to these criminal characters around the city. And violent crime is so high that the Windy City has struggled with the title of US’ murder capital.
But the crime rate is trending downward. While shootings and violent crimes have spiked in the first three months of 2021, shooting rates have decreased by 30% over the past three years. This comes from growing police reform and community policing.
When it comes to high crime rates, you need to see it in the context of the social structure in Chicago. The majority of gang and gun violence occurs in a few neighborhoods. So always do your due diligence.
Pro Tip: If you want to move to Chicago, research neighborhoods thoroughly. Go beyond home prices. Ask past and current residents about the environment they live in. Gauge how safe it would be at all times of the day - in and out of the house.
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Public schools
The Chicago public school system, while being one of the largest employers in the city, leaves a lot to be desired. Many Chicago residents attest to that as they discuss their experiences in the City-Data Forum.
Most neighborhoods’ public schools suffer from poor quality. They are understaffed and lacking in interest-based classes. These educational issues mainly originate from poor working conditions and low teaching wages. So teachers choose to leave the profession, often going on strikes for better pay and benefits.
The better schools in the public school system are not accessible for everyone. These schools run on selective enrollment. They select students based on test scores and family income level.
Pro Tip: If you choose to move to Chicago, search for a neighborhood with schools that offer high educational merits for all ages. To help you with this search, here’s the video on the Top 10 communities in Illinois.
5. Cost of living
If you want to move to Chicago, you need to prepare a fortune. To live in the Windy City won’t be easy.
In the research, we found that Chicago is more expensive than 84% of cities worldwide. The lifestyle here is very demanding on one’s finances - from high rent and home prices to expensive dining to huge parking fees. As I’ve mentioned before, the high tax rates here lead to a high cost of living. For instance, housing expenses here are 56% higher than the national average - according to the latest PayScale statistics.
To live well in an apartment, a breadwinner should earn at least $18.71 per hour or $37,410 per year. To live above the poverty threshold in Chicago, you need to work full-time for at least $16.32 per hour.
According to Retirepedia, Chicago has a poverty rate of 20%.
So if you want to enjoy all of Chicago’s unique charms, economic opportunities, and amenities, you must have a stable, well-paying job. And learn to budget for your lifestyle!
Conclusion
All things considered, Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities to live in. It offers a high standard of living but you need to plan and adjust your lifestyle to mitigate the cons of this place.
