What are the living expenses in Chicago?

With that salary, you should be able to live pretty comfortably in any neighborhood.  If you plan to drive, be aware that gas prices here are generally among the worst in the country (this week I've seen $4.38 near downtown), and this prices can be very high the closer you get to downtown.  You will also have to worry about parking / zone permits / tickets that can add unexpected costs if you live in a congested area.  Your insurance rates will be higher if your insurance company deems your neighborhood higher risk for theft.  I don't know if we still have the highest sales tax in the country, but it is still somewhere around 10%.

With a gross salary of 100K, you don't have much to worry about, but I will try to break it down a little... Rent-$750 to $1000+, depends on neighborhood, additional $ for utilities depends on bldg (some are included, some aren't). Groceries...$300 CTA (train/bus) ~$5 day/pp (maybe cheaper w/monthly pass) Will you have a car? That will cost a good bit extra for city sticker, state registration fee, parking, insurance, etc. I can't tell you much about that bc I've never had a car in the city. Going out can be expensive, but there are lots of inexpensive/free things to do in Chicago.

Chicago is an extremely inexpensive city -- it has to be the least expensive metropolis in the United States. I think it costs more to live in Denver proper than it does to live in Chicago. Your living expenses here will easily be 1/3 or less of what it would cost to live in Manhattan, San Francisco or Los Angeles. If you rent a one bedroom apartment, I imagine the minimum you'd spend is $1200 a month for a decent place in any given neighborhood. $1500 is the minimum for a nicer neighborhood like River North, Gold Coast, or fashionable neighborhoods such as Wicker Park and Bucktown. Yes, you CAN get a $800 one bedroom in a Lincoln Park walkup, but it won't have central heat or air and it's very likely that the cable/internet hook-ups will be spotty or nonfunctional. And you'll be surrounded by college students from De Paul, so I don't advise it. Social life here is generally inexpensive, depending on the crowd you run with. But we're a city of beer drinkers. There's just significantly less social pressure to go out and blow $100+ on cocktails on a Friday night. I'd say the exception to this are the guys who work here in finance. If you don't work in finance, your social life here will be much less expensive than anywhere else. Owning a car is a relatively big expense, as it is in any city but once again, nowhere near the cost of elsewhere. Depending on the neighborhood, parking will be a minimum of $150 a month up to $250+ each month. You really do not need a car, however, as long as you live close to public transportation... and likely you will. With a $100K salary, you'll really be able to put a lot of money away, too.

depends upon where you stay and where you work.   1) work in downtown? you can stay in certain cheaper places in downtown where you might get a good 1bhk for ~$1500. But the atmosphere outside isn't pleasant with downtown being slightly noisy. You can stay in suburbs where most of the families stay and they commute for an hour to reach their office daily. Apartments are cheaper in suburbs and the costs vary from 600-1000$ for a decent apartment!   2) work in suburbs? you got your answer earlier!   But again it all depends upon your comfort zones!

With that salary you can live very well. There are very solid neighborhoods (like Logan Square) where apartments are very affordable, and many include heat in the rental cost. And Logan Square is on the Blue Line El, so you could easily do without a car if you work downtown. I agree with Annie that this is one of the most affordable large cities in the US, and I'd add the world too. It's a bicycle and public transport friendly city, and housing and food costs are very reasonable. Of course you can choose to live in areas that are very shiny and expensive, but there are plenty of decent neighborhoods that are accessible and reasonably priced for rents and restaurants.

There are expensive area but many affordable options. I have worked with a great builder that offers beautiful houses in cities surrounding Chicago, perfect for commuting, with a pretty affordable price tag. Http://www.drhorton.com/Illinois/Chicago.aspx

I agree with all above. Hyde Park in the U of C neighborhood is very pedestrian friendly too. Lots of restaurants and retail establishments. Rents from the west side of HP can easily go for $800-$1400/month. On the lake side $1100-$2000/month. Great neighborhood too.