Is 23,000 par year a decent salary for Chicago? (Granville: insurance, cinema)

[belfagor71]

Good morning everyone!

I might be moving soon to Chicago as I received a job offer.
The point is I have never lived in the States before so I really can't figure out how expensive it might be.
The minimum salary is 23,000 $ par year and the maximum is 28,000.
I would share a flat and I am not too much into bars, locals, restaurants and similar.
Can I live with such money in a basic but nice place, in a nice area? For nice I mean a pleasant and safe place, well connected through means of transportation.
I would really need your sincere opinion!
With that money could I enjoy the city? I mean, could I go once in a while to the cinema or to some exhibition, museum or similar?
Any tip and help is very mcuh appreciated!!

Thank you so much and have a great day!

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by belfagor71

Good morning everyone!

I might be moving soon to Chicago as I received a job offer.
The point is I have never lived in the States before so I really can't figure out how expensive it might be.
The minimum salary is 23,000 $ par year and the maximum is 28,000.
I would share a flat and I am not too much into bars, locals, restaurants and similar.
Can I live with such money in a basic but nice place, in a nice area? For nice I mean a pleasant and safe place, well connected through means of transportation.
I would really need your sincere opinion!
With that money could I enjoy the city? I mean, could I go once in a while to the cinema or to some exhibition, museum or similar?
Any tip and help is very mcuh appreciated!!

Thank you so much and have a great day!

I'm not trying to be negative, but you're really going to have to watch every penny at $23K year. You may have to look for a 2nd job for additional income. You most likely will have to live in a fringe area which can be dicey.
Do your homework carefully on the areas you are looking to live.
It can be done, but you're just going to have to be very cognizant of your dollars.

[gardener34]

What kind of job is it? That sounds really low for most professions. $28K is better. A second part time job til you move up and make more money, would be good to buffer you against any unforeseen expenses (doctor, dentist, etc. which are very expensive here even with insurance). And speaking of insurance - what about the benefits the job offers. I am assuming insurance - if not forget about it.

[belfagor71]

Thank you very much for your answer.
The job is in a private school and the position is for a primary school teacher.
Maybe, being a foreign, they try to take advantage from my unfamiliarity with the context. Moreover, I don't think insurance is included. I have actually written asking for more information but I have not received anything back so far.
If both of you speak about second job, well it really means that is not feasible to live on that money.

[mh7]

Thats exactly half the salary I made when I graduated...12.5 years ago. Teachers don't make a whole lot, but that seems very low.

[cdc3217]

Ironically, private school teachers usually make less than their public counterparts. This salary doesn't surprise me a whole lot. What kind of school is it, if you don't mind my asking?

Other teachers before you have lived on this amount, but the previous posts about watching every penny are accurate.

Also, there are lots of little tips and tricks for going to local attrations for little money. THe public library allows Chicago residents to check out free passes to local museums, and especially for teachers there are lots of little special offers and discounts. I'm not a teacher, though, so my knowledge is limited.

[Chi-town Native]

That is for all practical purposes minimum wage in Chicago.

Assuming 40 hour workweeks over 52 weeks, that's $11 an hour.

You'll need to find roommates and be satisfied living in extremely tight quarters - you can do it, but I'd be thinking about my next steps career-wise if it was me.

[belfagor71]

It's a school of foreign language specialized in teaching children go there to learn foreign languages.
cdc3217, thanks a lot for the tips about teachers!
I'll keep it in mind in case I decide to accept this offer.
Anyway, Chi-town natives, maybe I forgot adding something important.
23,000 par year is for 32 hours par week.
While 28,000 plus 1000 benefit par year is for 40 hours par week.

[emathias]

As a starter job, you can live on it, especially if you get roommates or are willing to live in a small studio flat. There are places in Edgewater with cheap studios. If living on the far north side of the city puts you close enough to your job, and you want a studio, check out 6214 N Winthrop. it's clean, quiet, has inexpensive studios and is just 1/2 block from the Granville stop on the Red Line.

Most people starting out don't make much at first, and primary education teachers, especially at private schools, usually make less than most. To give you a point of comparison, the per-capita average income in the Chicago area is between 50% and 100% higher than your starting salary, depending on how you define the statistics.

But, everyone makes less starting out than they will later on, and I know people who live on their own and earn even less than your salary, so it's definitely possible. Like others said, though, you will probably find yourself looking for a second job so you can save up money or improve your lifestyle a little.

[Chicago60614]

wow, that's honestly a very low salary to have living in the city. My roommate started out at Chicago Public Schools as a 22 year old almost a decade ago and was making $36K.