Live in Chicago and commute to Hammond?

[OrangeAndBlue]

Your best bet to balance typical yuppy lifestyle needs with a doable commute is going to be the South Loop. The West Loop would work pretty well also and some portions of River North / Streeterville could also be okay as long as you have very quick access to Lake Shore Drive or 90/94. You should be able to afford a decent 1BR or Studio apartment with parking in those areas on your income and still afford going out and enjoying the city (assuming you don't have major other debt or costs we don't know about). Those areas aren't the typical right-out-of-college hotspots (i.e. more late 20s / early 30s than early 20s residents), but they offer plenty of amenities and easy access to the rest of the city.

The commute between Hammond and about the intersection of the Dan Ryan and the Stevenson is easy (hardly any traffic) even during rush hour. Once you go north of there though, especially on 90/94, the traffic sucks. I did this commute for a while: from right by Millennium Park to East Chicago, IN (via LSD - I55 - I90/94 - Skyway). It would take me about 30-35 minutes.