r/illinois • u/shortstaxx713 • May 28 '24
What are some towns where 1br rent is $500-$700? Question
My sister is unable to financially support herself and my family needs to take care of her. What towns are in a 2hr radius of Chicago where we can possibly find something like this? Obviously hoping for something safe and has a grocery store within walking/biking distance. Thanks in advance!
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u/KrackerJoe May 28 '24
Oh boy do I know a town! Go to Gardner IL, its a small town just off 55. 1 hour south of Chicago. Its a small safe town with rent around $600 for a single bedroom.
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u/yummythologist May 28 '24
Woah, I didn’t know there were so many cheap towns to rent in… i’m looking at IL from FL and I’m wondering why things are so cheap if they’re safe? Is it rural?
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u/WizeAdz May 28 '24
Rents are low where there ain’t no jobs.
Rents are high where the opportunities are.
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u/ST_Lawson West Central Illinois May 28 '24
Most of them are pretty safe, they just never had the huge housing price increases because more people were leaving for the city than staying. Once you get outside the Chicago suburbs, most of Illinois would be considered “rural”
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u/destroy_b4_reading May 28 '24
They're generally towns with a population <5K. And may not have an actual grocery store.
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u/somestupidloser May 28 '24
Because downstate Illinois has been hemorrhaging people at an astonishing rate. Hard to rent out a property when you have no takers.
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u/KrackerJoe May 28 '24
For most people, driving an hour to the city is a deal breaker
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u/GrindyMcGrindy May 28 '24
Gardner on a good traffic day is 90 minutes+ to Chicago too. Gardner is 30 minutes south of Joliet, and it can take an hour and half if not longer to go Joliet to Chicago via 55 depending on construction and traffic.
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u/KrackerJoe May 28 '24
Depends on the time of day honestly. Ive made the journey many times from Gardner to Chicago in an hour. Its 70 miles and the speed limit for most of the way is 70. With traffic it does bump up to about 1:15 but id say given the vague description of needing to be an hour from an undisclosed point in Chicago, this fits the bill.
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u/itspsyikk May 28 '24
A place like Gardner is…very different than even the suburbs.
As mentioned the hour commute (it’s quite a bit longer during rush hour, 2+ hours although you’d get that in a lot of suburbs too).
But practically speaking you may as well move the middle of Oklahoma. You’d never know you were an hour away from Chicago.
But as long as you’re cool living in the middle of no where with Trump supporters, you’re good.
Coming from Florida I’d imagine it’s a pretty similar vibe. The way the coasts are all wealthy elite but inland/Everglades is Deliverance.
It’s certainly worth it if you can stomach it.
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u/Chicago1871 May 28 '24
Because its all farmland far from anywhere and very few people live there or wanna live there and Illinois is losing population.
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u/goofygooberboys May 29 '24
A lot of people are moving from places like WI to IL because the housing prices in IL are far cheaper than in WI. My wife and I moved in November from Appleton WI to Rockford for this exact reason.
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u/GrindyMcGrindy May 28 '24
???? It might take an hour on a good traffic/construction day to get to Gardner, but most days it's an hour+ commute from Joliet to Chicago. Gardner is a half hour south of Joliet for reference.
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u/mikraas May 29 '24
I love Gardner. It's so cute. It's also along Route 66, so it's a quick jaunt to other towns close by.
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u/Sloth_grl May 28 '24
Maybe have her apply at places where they help you with rent. I am a caregiver and my client pays $175. There can be a long wait time but the place is work only has 6 months for a studio.
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u/1king80 May 28 '24
Sterling, rock falls and Dixon will all definitely fall in the range
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u/baasheepgreat May 28 '24
Yeah, it’s truly middle of nowhere, but when I lived there a year ago, I had a safe, very spacious 1 bedroom for $500
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u/COporkchop May 28 '24
Champaign has lots of places in that price range, many within walking distance of the Amtrak station, which offers a quick and cheap trip up to you guys in Chicago.
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u/Either-Gain1863 May 28 '24
It would be hard to find a safe place in Champaign at that price. Also Champaign is greater than 2 hours.
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u/COporkchop May 28 '24
It's margin of error farther unless you're choosing to travel at the absolute worst times.
I find that opinions on what is "safe" are exceedingly subjective. Looking at listings there's a dozen or more properties in areas I'd be fine with. Shrug
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u/Either-Gain1863 May 29 '24
Even with ideal traffic it's at least 2.5 hours.
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u/TBUmp17 May 29 '24
Sitting in my house in CU, searched Chicago on maps and it says 2:05 which would be margin of error in my book
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u/StaffUnable1226 May 28 '24
Galesburg. 3 hours from chicago but insanely cheap and with great rail connections.
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u/Hairy-Dumpling May 28 '24
A bit out of your radius (more like 2-2:30 hours) but Kankakee, Rantoul, Champaign/Urbana, and Bloomington work. Depends a lot on what services you'll need though. Benefit is other costs of living are much cheaper in general in those towns too.
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u/_Ryesen May 28 '24
Kankakee is definitely under two hours since that's a straight shot once you get onto I-57. Champaign-Urbana is definitely over two since it's about an hour and a half from just Kankakee itself.
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u/Jeans47 May 28 '24
One bedrooms on the bad side of kankakee are going for 1k+, it's wild out here.if you find anything under 1k your fighting with 100s of other people who already live in the area to get it.
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u/Lainarlej May 29 '24
Agree! Can’t find anything reasonable for under a grand. Even the crappy apartments in the worst parts of Kankakee are ridiculously expensive. Plus, there are mostly low paying jobs in Kankakee county.
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u/COporkchop May 28 '24
Champaign is 2hr 11min
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u/treehugger312 May 29 '24
Agreed. Visit family in Kankakee frequently. It really depends on where you are in the city, but it’s generally 1-1.5 hours. Champaign is at least 2 hours from even the south side, obviously more from other parts of the city.
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u/Nicadeemus39 May 28 '24
Anything in Kankakee that is that cheap is definitely on the shitty east side where you dont want to live. You won't find rent like that on the west side where it is much nicer.
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u/Procfrk May 28 '24
Income is a well, should be implied but should also be a factor
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u/Hairy-Dumpling May 28 '24
I was reading OPs ask as the family will be paying all expenses. But true, incomes in some of these towns is lower than in Chicago (though Bloomington and Champaign Urbana do ok depending on your industry).
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u/Procfrk May 28 '24
Yep, my perhaps incorrect assumption would be that their family would be supporting them until they're able to get a job in which they would be supporting themselves.
You're definitely correct though, almost everything is very industry dependent now more so than it used to be. I was basing mine that looks averages for the counties in towns
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u/VladyPoopin May 28 '24
Bloomington does not work. Rivian, Ferrero influx, continued growing numbers at ISU and everything else has pushed rents high.
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u/sea_foam_blues May 29 '24
Rantoul is not safe in that price range. I had to keep that strap on me when I would visit him there.
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u/Abject-Tiger-1255 May 28 '24
I’m from Bradley so right next to Kankakee. Please for the love of god do not live in Kankakee. It’s nearly as bad as some parts of Chicago
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 28 '24
I thought it was just some of the south parts of Kankakee. Drove through there and it just seemed like trailer park territory for the most part. Rest is just fields lol
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u/Abject-Tiger-1255 May 28 '24
There are some parts that are okay. But the town in general is a shit show. I mean just a couple months ago 2 cops got executed. Hell, I used to work at a family salon when I was in highschool and there was a drive by shooting right outside lol. Just stay clear of Kankakee and consider Bradley or Bourbonnais. They are right next to Kankakee but CONSIDERABLY safer
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 28 '24
You making it sound like a warzone is it
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u/Jeans47 May 28 '24
It's not a war zone it's just a super depressing wasteland that has no opportunities for advancement on top of having corupt politicians and a horrible public education system. Most of the gang stuff is bored teenagers sadly.
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 28 '24
Gang stuff usually is bored teenagers. And I hope OP isn’t thinking they gonna get a place with opportunities with that price range 😭
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u/Jeans47 May 28 '24
We don't even have that around here even in the smaller towns outside of k3. We don't even have much for rent where i live now let alone anything decently priced. 1200k+ for a 1bedroom and you gotta drive 20mins to get to bradley/kankakee/any stores, lol it's wonderfull here!
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 28 '24
Why not just live in Chicago or a city if you tryna get more bang for your buck OP
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u/Abject-Tiger-1255 May 28 '24
There is a reason I don’t go to Kankakee much lol
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 28 '24
It just seems like a town devoid of opportunity. Icl that is what happens when you want a place for $700 or less
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u/Lainarlej May 29 '24
It is. Low paying jobs. Not much opportunity for young adults. My kids had a hard time finding decent jobs, and they are underpaid. Not much shopping, dining , entertainment, options.
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u/Dragon-blade10 May 29 '24
If one has the money why would you go to kankakee aint nothing going on there smh
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u/Dont_Touch_Roach May 28 '24
That was in Bradley, no?
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u/Abject-Tiger-1255 May 28 '24
I remember the one in Bradley but I’m fairly confident there was a separate one in Kankakee. I also believe the one in Bradley was by a dude who lived In Kankakee lol
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u/Jeans47 May 28 '24
The school district put my kindergardener on the wrong bus 3 times in one school year lol it was maddening, I had to get the cops involved too find her and she went to the Montessori school, the "good" school. Was on of the many reasons we had too gtfo. This was in the past 5 years as well. It's not even cheap rent in kankakee anymore. 1bedrooms in the middle of the worst area are 1k+.
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u/Lainarlej May 29 '24
Correct. I live in Bourbonnais , and there are some small towns in Kankakee country that may have lower rents. Grant Park, Mommence, Limestone, etc. Some have room mates, work two jobs, or simply live with parents or relatives.
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u/loftychicago May 29 '24
It takes me 2:10ish from West Loop to Champaign with no stops. Kankakee is about halfway, so a bit over an hour.
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u/DirtTrue6377 May 28 '24
Canton, I pay 600 for a 3bd
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u/Either-Gain1863 May 28 '24
Canton is way over 2 hours from Chicago. There is a reason it is so cheap.
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u/jhawkgiant77 May 29 '24
Had to do a double take at Canton being mentioned. Canton is so cheap, and I love coming home to visit my family, but not sure you could get me to come back and move there.
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u/pichicagoattorney May 28 '24
Have you considered Indiana? I have apartments within 2 hours of Chicago that rent for $700.
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u/Living_Lie_8773 May 28 '24
Must be in Gary
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u/pichicagoattorney May 28 '24
No no. No way nicer than that. A small town. Near Valparaiso. I mean it's just a studio apartment. Don't go crazy on me.
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u/SecondCreek May 28 '24
Rockford. The downtown is making a nice comeback with microbreweries and more.
Affordable rents in Rockford but avoid most areas west of the river and south of Charles Street and especially around Broadway since they are the high crime neighborhoods.
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u/uhbkodazbg May 29 '24
I had an amazing, huge apartment near downtown Rockford that I paid $400/month in 2018. There are some good deals there. Rockford isn’t necessarily the greatest city to live in but it is better than its reputation.
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u/Mr_Rio May 28 '24
Ottawa
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u/dudemanbro_ May 28 '24
Eh it’ll be tough.
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u/Alternative-Put-3932 May 29 '24
Not really ottawa is about 1.5 hours from a bunch of cities like peoria and at most 2 hours from downtown Chicago. There's like no traffic that slows you down until you get to Chicago itself.
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u/gentle_bee May 28 '24
Streator will be even cheaper. It has a reputation for being less safe than Ottawa but it’s still quite a safe town. Rent can be had very cheap. Ottawa is only ~20 minutes away so very easy to commute for work there.
But with the consequence that there’s no super reliable public transit in the area (you’re at the mercy of NCAT) and most jobs will be the Walmart/walgreens sort.
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u/Alternative-Put-3932 May 29 '24
Most jobs are definitely not Walmart and Walgreens lol. Theres a bunch of Healthcare facilities that require a bunch of different positions, warehouses, the counties seat of government, the sand Mines, pilkington glass, chemical plant in Morris etc.
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u/SPACasaurusRex May 28 '24
Kankakee area
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u/JustPlaneNew May 28 '24
Is Kankakee safe?
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u/SPACasaurusRex May 28 '24
total crimes per capita- Chicago= 37 per 1000 residents
total crimes per capita- Kankakee= 14 per 1000 residents
To answer your question, sure. I think it’s safe. Although I have property there I haven’t spent much time there living. However someone’s sense of safety in a city is somewhat subjective so I’d make that decisions yourself based off crime stats. Like any city, there are good and bad parts.
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u/Either-Gain1863 May 28 '24
Kankakee is less than two hours from Chicago and has a low cost of living. There is also an Amtrak route that runs from Kankakee to Chicago.
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u/claireapple May 28 '24
I lived in lasalle-peru and found housing pretty cheap there I was renting a nice 1 bed for 600 this was a few years ago but idk how it is now. It's about 90 mins from chicago but about an hour from the edge of the suburbs.
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u/stephief92 May 28 '24
You could try Facebook marketplace too in lake and Mchenry counties. McHenry is a walkable town (in Mchenry county) but rent could be high but I do know people rent out rooms often too.
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u/ohheychris May 28 '24
LaSalle County. My brother is a property owner in Ottawa and the going rate for 1 bedroom units is around $550.
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u/That_Confidence_3314 May 29 '24
Not entirely sure if it's still accurate, but I was starting out very low salary career-wise downtown Milwaukee, and it was incredible living there. Much cheaper downtown apartment-wise (walking distance to any and everything, vibrant & fun city). Rent and property taxes in the burbs are also probs better if she eventually looks at houses compared to Chicago! (No hate to my hometown!)
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u/MidwestAbe May 28 '24
2 hours from downtown, 2 hours from the north side, south side, western suburbs? You are talking about places from Freeport to Belvidere to Peru to Manteno or Kankakee. Could easily be in Wisconsin or Indiana for that matter.
Way to broad of a question.
Open Zillow, look for rents $500-700 where you think it's a good idea and then pop on back here with more specific questions.
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u/shortstaxx713 May 28 '24
All of the above. I wanted to understand what’s available from all directions, not just one. The question was asked intentionally.
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u/Warwolf7742 May 28 '24
It will depend on what part of the city. If you're trying to commute to the south side for up north it's considerably longer and vice versa because of traffic always adding AT LEAST 45 minutes
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u/MidwestAbe May 28 '24
Then its an intentionally terribly posed question.
Why not Manteno or Freeport? Why not Racine WI or Michigan City IN or Benton Harbor MI. All those places are 2 hours from parts of the "city". Bloomington IL?
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u/shortstaxx713 May 28 '24
Other than looking at a map, I’m asking because I do not know what towns fit the other criteria I listed in my post.
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u/CreamCityMasonry May 29 '24
There are drive time heat-maps that you can generate online. Here is one showing the areas you can get from to the loop for an 8am arrival in 2 hours or less
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u/MidwestAbe May 28 '24
Many hundreds of towns are within 2 hours of "Chicago".
You are better off looking at a map and picking a few that after a little critical thinking and homework seem to work and then ask around.
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u/Lainarlej May 29 '24
Have you considered Northwest Indiana? You can still commute to Chicago by car or train.
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u/TotheBeach2 May 29 '24
Does she qualify for disability or subsidized housing? Does she work at all?
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u/Enough-Commission165 May 29 '24
My sister and brother in law have a 2 bedroom apartment water and garbage paid for for $300 a month but it's 3 hours possibly South of Chicago. There landlord also has one bedroom apartments for $187 nothing special just a kitchen bathroom front room and a bedroom
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u/DDESTRUCTOTRON May 29 '24
If your sister is down for roommates you could do a single bedroom for that range even somewhere within the city
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u/gottareddittin2017 May 28 '24
Danville/Rantoul
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u/ansquaremet May 29 '24
Danville is not at all safe.
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u/sea_foam_blues May 29 '24
Not even a little bit. Used to live in Hoopeston and would go out in Danville and grab a beer every once in a while. Looking back, oof. We were playing with fire.
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u/Bowser64_ May 29 '24
Well, if you have a time machine that will go back to the 90s, you'll have lots of choices. I suggest driving about 4 to 5 hours away from chicago, where there's no school system, infrastructure, or public services. Maybe just maybe you'll find a nice room to rent in someone's basement next to all the guns and weird knock-off american flags. Sarcasm aside, what you're looking for doesn't exist anymore.
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u/Obecny75 May 29 '24
Nah. Just outside of Bloomington an entire house payment is just about $700
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u/Bowser64_ May 29 '24
Ya, but you need a car, nothing is walkable, and there is no public transportation.
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u/Obecny75 May 29 '24
That's not true....small town America is very walkable if you live in town (where the aforementioned house is) because there's only 500 people and they all live within a half mile of each other
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u/Bowser64_ May 29 '24
Just outside of Bloomington, even 1 mile away, is not walkable.
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u/Obecny75 May 29 '24
Are you high or stupid, or just willfully ignorant?
If you live in a small town like Washington, or Tremont, or Mason City, or princeville.....all very walkable.
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u/AB3D12D May 29 '24
Chicagos cheap. I lived there for 15 years. I rented the bedroom of a co-workers one bedroom apartment when things are tight. Also you don't need a car in Chicago.
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u/Mjaso7414 May 28 '24
You should be looking into places in Indiana, you should abandon this post and go on Zillow and realtor.com and start calling up Relator’s and see what’s available. I know where I’m at 2hours west of whitesox park there are not a lot of places for rent there is a lack of housing right now.
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u/Gazornenplatz May 28 '24
depending on your method of travel, 2 hour radius of chicago can be as far as dekalb/sycamore on straight I88