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Hi! First of all, I'd like to thank you for reading my thread. I am a Singaporean chinese who's looking to eventually move to Chicago in the near future (possibly 2014, early 2015).
I have looked at apartments online and I've seen houses with 3 bedrooms and 2 toilets costing only 100k. Now, this is a very surprising case because in Singapore, you couldn't buy any place to live for 100k - unless of course you live in a cage, but then again, you don't own the land where you place your cage, so.
Anyway. I am curious if the average price for apartments are of that price? These houses are along streets such as West Montana and Saint Lawrence Ave. I'm looking for a comfortable, small landed house (no condos) in a comfortable and convenient neighbourhood. Where should I start looking, and what is the average price I should expect?
Next, I would also like to get to know the pros and cons of living in the popular/less popular suburbs of Chicago.
Lastly, I would really appreciate it if you could give me an idea (and approximate prices, if possible) of the living expenses (healthcare, food, tax, insurance etc) for a foreigner/permanent resident/citizen.
I am pretty sure the area you are looking at is in the city and not the suburbs. $100k for 3 bedroom and 2 toilets is probably not in the nicest of neighborhoods.
Your living expenses are going to be determined by what type of lifestyle you intend to lead.
Lets start with basics. Cook County where Chicago is located is about 1000 Square miles and has a population of about 6 million people. The metropolitan area which includes nearby counties and parts of other states brings the population to about 10 million.
The difference between the City and its suburbs is probably much like the difference between Hong Kong and the smaller provinces in mainland China. A few years ago when I was traveling to CaliforniaI stopped at a Chinese restaurant and picked up a new magazine the owner had just received from China. I don't remember the city but the magazine featured a story about a new condo with pictures of an average apartment selling for $1M US. She and I had a long discussion about overcrowding and the cost of living in the city in a new condos. This cost was obnoxious.
Chicago suburbs are more sedate and family orientated. You will see more baby carriages and parents pushing it than you will frat parties and drunken revelry. The suburbs do not generally offer the same amenities as the City. They do not all have the same transit available. Where you work and your salary, plus whether or not you own a car, will dictate where you live. What you want to do in your leisure time will have an impact too.
Chicago is a city of 1000 neighborhoods and 6,000 restaurants. If you work at home and have a substantial income you can live anywhere. For instance Chicago has a Chinatown that is a complete city with a bank, bakery, druggist, church, doctors, etc.. It is completely different from Streeterville, an upper income neighborhood that is very near the heart of the City.
The suburbs are very different too. Oak Park shares a border city with Chicago and offers many of the same amenities. It's a quirky community with a broad racial mix and residents that are generally well positioned financially. It has a Chinese Church as does Chinatown and the Church of Beethoven which meets once month. There are many types of transit in Oak Park. If you are low key and quiet you probably prefer it to the city. Another suburb is Evanston. It also joins the city but it farther from the heart of the city. It has amenities and it is home to a large university which means its vibe is more youthful. Arlington Heights is much further out. It offers different amenities. It is home to the Arlington Race track. If you like horses it is great place to live. Schaumburg is probably one of the farthest suburbs from the city. It is rapidly growing and busy as it has one of the largest shopping malls in America.
I think the tax on groceries in Chicago is around 3%. It cost about $125 to get your Illinois drivers license and license plates for your vehicle. I imagine the cost of car insurance will be in the neighborhood of $1000 per year. Your parking tags, parking lot.or garage, iPass will
cost another $500 or more annually. It is smarter to live closer, ride the train and rent a car when you need it. The prices I quoted are guesstimates as I do not live in Chicago. If you live in a not so good neighborhood car insurance will be higher.
If you want a house, rather than a duplex, apartment complex or conn, you can reasonably expect to pay $2000 or more to live in a good neighborhood with parking. This will be a year contract without any amenities. This is no lights, no gas, no washer or dryer, no water or weekly waste pick up. If you want to buy in a good neighborhood you can expect to pay $500,000 or more. Real Estate taxes can be very pricey.
The cost of healthcare varies widely. Family insurance can be very costly. Seriously, as you are native to China, I suggest you contact one the insurance companies in Chinatown such as Jun Zhou at Farmers to help you understand better what you are looking to accomplish. She is tri-lingual. Look around the website. It will give you a feel for a corner of Chicago.
I like Chinatown. There is even a Chicago Water Taxi that you can take from downtown Chicago to Chinatown. The last time I checked its was $5 - which is much cheaper than a city taxi cab. But the water taxi does not run late whereas the city cab runs all night.
Chicago is an visually interesting city on a very large body of water. It's hot in the summer months and can bitterly cold in the winter, but most of the time the temperature is pleasant.
Good Luck! I'm sure one of the ladies that sells insurance can help you far more than the forums can. They should know the various neighborhoods in the city, too.
Hi! First of all, I'd like to thank you for reading my thread. I am a Singaporean chinese who's looking to eventually move to Chicago in the near future (possibly 2014, early 2015).
I have looked at apartments online and I've seen houses with 3 bedrooms and 2 toilets costing only 100k. Now, this is a very surprising case because in Singapore, you couldn't buy any place to live for 100k - unless of course you live in a cage, but then again, you don't own the land where you place your cage, so.
Anyway. I am curious if the average price for apartments are of that price? These houses are along streets such as West Montana and Saint Lawrence Ave. I'm looking for a comfortable, small landed house (no condos) in a comfortable and convenient neighbourhood. Where should I start looking, and what is the average price I should expect?
Next, I would also like to get to know the pros and cons of living in the popular/less popular suburbs of Chicago.
Lastly, I would really appreciate it if you could give me an idea (and approximate prices, if possible) of the living expenses (healthcare, food, tax, insurance etc) for a foreigner/permanent resident/citizen.
Thank you!
Hello cherieblythe,
I suppose this is the part where I say "Congrats! and Welcome!", but in all honesty I must ask: "Are you sure you really want to move here?" Have you spent any vacation time here exploring?
I have been born and raised in the Chicago area (Berwyn), and while I can offer some advice about moving here, etc., I can't offer it without the same bias as I would expect a native Singaporean to offer me if I were asking the same questions about moving to Singapore. BTW, my wife is Singaporean, holds a job in Chinatown, and I do have my Sg PR card as well.
Yes, I know that you can't even buy 1000sq ft of living space in Sg without parting with at least $S410K. It's insane as the Gahmen has allowed so many foreigners to come in and "invest" in all the HDB flats making them virtually unaffordable to the average newly-wed family. And the Gahmen just offers lip service to the locals while they rake in the $$$!
Just to clarify: "Apartments" are something you rent on a monthly basis. "Condos" are something you buy and they could even be old apartment buildings that have been 'converted' to condos. So when you ask "I am curious if the average price for apartments are of that price?" are you referring to an entire apartment building that would be for sale?
Houses, on the other hand, of course vary in price. You might come across foreclosures within a $100K price range, but you better sign up for some courses at your local Home Depot on basic home repair/maintenance/painting/plumbing etc., and bring your tool belt as you could be spending an equal amount of money on renovations to such properties.
Trying to find the perfect neighborhood can be a subjective matter. What one my find "perfect" someone else my find "unsuitable". The majority of houses in the Chicago neighborhoods are older homes. Many of these homes have character you won't find in Sinagapore. Average prices will vary from area to area in Chicago. Right now the real estate trends are going slightly upward on home prices, Chicago enjoys the exclusion from the trend with real estate prices continuing to fall. Your best bet would be to find a real estate agent to help you find what you're looking for.
Depending on where your job is, you might want to live as close to it as possible. Public transportation is available around the city, but you'll find it pales in comparison to the efficiency and cleanliness of the MRT. Late trains and buses with continually rising fares is commonplace here, as well as subways stinking of stale urine and vomit. Owning a car is a whole other topic.
It's hard to assess the 'pros' and 'cons' of living in a suburb outside of Chicago. One of the biggest 'pros' is the fact that you're NOT living in Chicago. That, in itself, is one of the BIGGEST PROS as suburbs aren't directly subjected to the insane lunacy that typically makes up Chicago rules and regulations. Chicago does, without a doubt, have top notch excellent restaurants and food — bar none. But don't expect to find hawker Mee Goreng, Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Chicken Rice, Bak Kut Teh, or Char Quay Teow here anymore than you'll find real Mexican food, or Chicago-style pizza in Singapore. Chicago has a wide and very diverse selection of ethnic foods that even puts the "Food Paradise" to shame. Sorry, but it's true. There is much to love about the food here, and even more to explore and enjoy.
Another PRO of suburbia living is enjoying a less crime-ridden lifestyle. Chicago also boasts being the "Crime Capital" of the nation with a record number of murders and homicides in one year. For a city with some of the most stringent 'gun control' laws in the country, we proudly wear that title while we reap the benefits of such masterfully rational and sound lawmaking. Some suburbs are slowly catching up to the distinction of Chicago crime statistics, but one of the PROS of suburbia living is being able to own a gun in your own home — just in case.
Generally, there isn't much of a difference living in the near suburbs of Chicago unless you go furthur away from Chicago into some of the neighboring counties. Most of the near suburbs are like extensions of the neighborhoods in Chicago with some of the same ethnicities and amenities. The Metra train system extends quite far to even Aurora (which is really far from Chicago if you have to drive) for suburbanites to commute to the city. Those who live in suburbs generally drive to parking lots (carparks) near the train stations, park their cars there and take the train to work. Driving around downtown Chicago is not for the faint of heart or for novice drivers. Parking in the city is equally as dismal and nerve-racking.
As far as your question regarding "living expenses (healthcare, food, tax, insurance etc)", each suburb is governed by its own individual governing body, which is something that affects property taxes, sales taxes and fees etc. Property taxes/fees will vary from suburb to suburb depending on the schools, police and fire departments, and other municipal costs. The trend for property taxes is to always increase every year. This will affect your mortgage payement and budget as every year a 'surprise' will come in the form of a letter from your mortgage lender that your escrow account (the account that pays for your property taxes) needs to be bolstered by another thousand or so lump sum payment, or enjoy spreading that misery over the next 12 months with higher monthly mortgage payments.
Chicago and neighboring suburbs are within the Cook County (or as we call it here "CROOK" County) limits. That means that even if you live outside of Chicago in a suburb, the Tentacles of Profligate Spending and Taxation will still reach into your wallet because Cook County and Chicago are inseparable. Chicago boasts and brags about having the second highest sales tax in the country at 9.5% A list of sales tax rates for other suburbs can be found here: Illinois (IL) Sales Tax Rates by City Illinoiz State Sales Tax is 6.25% http://www.tax-rates.org/Illinois/sales-tax Then you have whatever sales tax the City of Chicago charges. Illinoiz boasts one of the most complex taxing systems in the country, so if you love paying taxes you'll feel right at home.
The state income tax rate is a flat 5% — up from 3% (Thanks Pat Quinn!). You won't have to worry about healthcare come 2014 because that's when ObamaCare® will be fully implemented and our healthcare worries and problems will come to an end as we all get FREE Gahmen healthcare for life. Food costs will vary upon how much you want to eat. If you're looking for Asian food stores you will find them in Chinatown, Argyle St and HMart. There are many more if you Google them. As far as living expenses go around here: since you're Singaporean, you're used to being nickeled and dimed to death bleeding money from the very first step out of your flat. You'll feel right at home here. Chicago Gahmen loves to nickel and dime residents to death, too. They spend many countless hours and sleepless nights — and tax dollars — coming up with all sorts of brilliant, creative schemes on how to wastefully use OPM (other people's money) seperating you from you wallet.
As far as the weather goes here: the Spring months bring warmer temps (°F), flowers, rain and fresh air. Summer you might be surprised that it actually gets hotter and just as humid as Singapore! Fall is nice with the color changes and falling leaves, the cooler temps from the Summer heat. Winter: if you've never experienced snow before, or really, really cold winds and temps it might be a novelty to you. After that, you just might be planning your vacations to go back to Singapore during the winter months. Chicago winters suck really, really bad*.
*Unless we get a rogue mild winter. Then it's still bad, but not as bad.
Last edited by hostage-IL; 03-31-2013 at 09:53 AM..
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