So, you’re a twenty-something urbanite looking for a new place to call home in Chicago. The good news is you don’t have to face the astronomical prices in the city. There are heaps of fun and affordable suburbs around Chicago for young professionals like you.
On this list, you’ll find our recommendations specifically for millennials, which means every suburb on our list has:
- A metra station
- Bars and restaurants
- A similar age demographic
- Rental affordability
Let’s head out to the metro areas and take a closer look at the best millennial-friendly ‘burbs.
What are the 9 Best Suburbs for Young Professionals?
9. Lincolnwood
Great for humble eateries, diversity, and proximity to Evanston and Chicago
Lincolnwood is a small metro village situated between Chicago and Evanston and many young professionals use this suburb as a commuting base. Locally, the suburb offers humble neighborhood bars and low-key eateries, including the nearby strip in Little India where you can sample authentic cuisine at Pakwan Indo-Pak, Mehrab Restaurant, and Nepal House.
Your local metra is Kedzie and Devon, where you can be in Evanston or Chicago Union Station in just 40 minutes. Two-bed apartments average at $1,200 PCM in and around Lincolnwood and you can find studios and 1-bed homes for under $1,000 PCM.
8. Brookfield
Great for affordability, proximity to Chicago, the La Grange downtown
Brookfield is a mid-sized western suburb and is popular among liberal young professionals. You’ll definitely feel like you’re in a quiet suburb living in Brookfield, but you are a stone’s throw away from La Grange’s vibrant downtown, where you can find fantastic restaurants and bars.
Your local metra will be one of the BNSF stops, as the line cuts right through Brookfield on its way to Chicago. It takes around 40 minutes to get to Union Station. You can find enviably affordable rent prices in Brookfield, especially if you buddy up and opt for a larger apartment or house – for example, 3-bed homes here currently average at $1,600 PCM.
7. Downers Grove
Great for things to do, quality of life, and atmosphere
It’s no secret that we love this suburb – we’ve written a whole post about Downers Grove and why it’s one of the best places for millennials to live in the Chicago suburbs. In a nutshell, this village is hip, charming, and buzzing. It has one of the best downtowns of the suburbs and a lively, youthful population. The only thing this suburb is really missing is the apostrophe from its name.
Downers Grove is approximately 40 minutes away from Chicago and your local stop is on the BNSF. You can find affordable apartments here, especially if you share with one other person. Most two-bed apartments and condos in Downers Grove are $1,400 PCM.
6. Skokie
Great for affordability, diversity, and proximity to Evanston
Skokie is no longer a well-kept secret among millennials. This suburb has people raving about its culture, cuisine, and about why it’s an all-round interesting place to live in the Chicago burbs. Skokie has a large Asian population and makes our list for the best diverse places to live in Chicagoland.
With Skokie being further out from Chicago, you’ll benefit from drastically cheaper rent prices. If you hunt around, you can find two- and three-bed apartments in Skokie that hover around the $1,100 mark.
5. Tri-cities (St Charles, Batavia, Geneva)
Great for things to do, price, and jobs
Perhaps it’s cheating to combine the three cities of St Charles, Batavia, and Geneva, but all three are considered great places to live for young professionals. 3x the locations, 3x the fun – and that’s part of what makes it great to live in any one of these cities. They are in easy access to each other and together they offer no end of things to do; eating, shopping, hiking, biking, or partying.
Being on the far western edges of Chicagoland, the rent prices are affordable in any of these cities. The only drawback to living all the way out in Kane Country is proximity to Chicago, as it takes 2 hours to commute by metra. Luckily, though, jobs and entertainment are readily available in the local area. Aurora and Naperville are both close by and offer plenty for working and playing.
4. Naperville
Great for the downtown, nightlife, and shopping
Naperville is one of the most popular suburbs across all demographics; there’s simply so much to enjoy here. Millennials are no exception, as the suburb offers them some of the best dining, bars, and shopping in Illinois. Need we say more? Perhaps not, but we’ve covered everything there is to love about Naperville in our community spotlight.
Naperville offers a 40-minute commute to Chicago via the BNSF. How easy your journey depends on where you live in the suburb. As a large and popular area, your drive to the metra station can be heavily congested. While Naperville isn’t known for being a cheap place to live, that’s partly because many upmarket homes raise the median price values. If you’re searching for more affordable condos and apartments to rent in Naperville, you can find humble places to call home.
3. Oak Park
Great for proximity to Chicago, rental availability, and its attractive downtown
Oak Park is a large suburb just on the outskirts of Chicago. You won’t feel too cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city here – it has an urban-suburban feel and you can be back in Chicago in less than 30 minutes.
The rental market in Oak Park couldn’t be easier for millennials; there are always hundreds of apartments and condos available to rent, with a wide range of price points. Oak Park has a very pretty downtown and there are heaps of great places to eat and drink. However, with the short metra ride to Chicago, you’ll be hard-pressed to resist the urge to head into the city to get your kicks.
2. Forest Park
Great for proximity to Chicago, walkability, and affordability,
Forest Park was nicknamed “Oak Park’s hot neighbor” by Thrillist. It’s been on an upward curve for quite some time and is known for being a progressive and fun suburb with an urban feel. There are a generous handful of sports bars and watering holes, as well as several highly rated restaurants.
This suburb is unique in that it feels close and connected to Chicago, yet offers low rental prices. Most people in Forest Park can walk to the Metra station, which is on the blue line. It’s also a rare gem for young professionals looking to live alone because there are many 1-bed and studio apartments for around $1,000 PCM.
1. Evanston
Great for diversity, rental affordability, and availability, progressiveness
Three words spring to mind when we think of Evanston – exciting, diverse, and progressive. Evanston has more of a city-feel than a suburb and you can soak up plenty of cultures here, be it in the bars, restaurants, or on the beaches of Lake Michigan.
You can be in Chicago in less than 30 minutes, making Evanston the perfect commuting base for young professionals. Meanwhile, you can cash in on the low rental prices here – Evanston has some of the cheapest apartments of any of the suburbs on this list, with hundreds of places coming in around $800 PCM for a studio or $1,000 PCM for a 2-bed apartment.
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