Chicago living expenses?

Jefferson street is not that far Cost of living, it depends on which area, but it is usually cheap, there are good studios in gold coast for like 600 usd!!! another nice area is Lincoln Park, I think rent can range from 500 to about 700 depending on what do you need and where Cost of average meal, mmmm, fast food probably 7 usd or something! Must do, shed acquarium, planetarium, milenium park, the clubs in Lincoln Park & Gold Coast

Welcome to Chicago, my home and after spending the last nine years living in Las Vegas I am home. Chicago is a wonderful city, so much to see, so much to do. It has world-renowned museums; world-renowned architecture; world-renowned skyline; world-renowned neighborhoods; world-renowned sports teams; world-renowned talk-show hosts (Oprah and Jerry Springer); world-renowned writers (Ricky J. Fico) Check out my new website: http://www.chicago4all.com Also, http://www.tri-umphs.com http://www.linkinlasvegas.com

Check the Chicago Reader website for ideas of what rent will be in the area you'll be living in (http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chicago/Results?subsection=oid%3A122). Jefferson is close to the Loop. Not REAL close, meaning that if you work downtown you probably won't be walking. There are cheap restaurants, but how often are you going to be going out to eat? If you're going to be living here, you'll be cooking dinner at home, etc. You can search around your neighborhood for reasonably priced supermarkets, good vegetable markets, etc. There are tons of places that deliver Thai, Chinese, Mexican, pizza, etc. I personally shop a lot at dollar stores; why should I go to a supermarket and pay $3 for aluminum foil when I can get the same thing at the dollar store. There are a lot of ways to cut corners in Chicago and save money. If you don't have a car and need one on the weekends or for a few hours during the week, check out one of the car sharing companies like iGo (http://flexcarnetwork.com/chicago-i-go/). That way you won't have to worry about city stickers and license plate stickers, etc. As far as "must do's", don't worry about that. If you're going to be living here, you've got PLENTY of time to do all of that tourist stuff like going to the museum, etc. The only must-dos you should be worried about is how to get around in the city. Learn the CTA train system. Learn about the bus system in your area, where they go and the schedule. Learn about the city's street numbering system so you can figure out where something is without actually going there (the "center" of Chicago is State and Madison. The street number go up by 100 for each block you go in either direction. So if an address is 1600 north whatever, you know that the place is 16 blocks north of the "center" of Chicago). Learn about paying for the bus, about CTA bus cards and how to use them. and unfortunately, learn about which neighborhoods are "safe" and which are not. Admittedly, some neigborhoods are safer than others, just like any big city. But crime can happen anywhere; a woman was just sexually assulated in Wrigleyville, near wrigley field, considered a "safe" neighborhood. I don't want to scare you, but you should just learn to be away of your surroundings when walking the street. Learn to not walk like a victim (head looking down, afraid to make eye contact, purse slung casually over your shoulder, standing on the corner counting money, etc.) Learn how to be aware when riding the el at night. You don't have to talk to everybody that asked you a question. If you don't feel comfortable, don't be afraid to move. so what if the other person feels offended. that's not important. Learing to deal with the weather is a "must do". It gets cold here. Be prepared to dress warmly when you know you'll be standing on a bus stop in the morning waiting for a bus Other that, Chicago has pretty normal weather. Chicago's not as bad as a lot of big cities, but it is a big city nonetheless. Get into the flow as quickly as you can and you'll have a great time.