What do you pay for rent in Chicago / Where to live

Moving to Chicago for a full time IB position in the summer and have begun to look for a target area to live. For those of you who are analysts, what do you pay for rent? I don’t want to spend an egregious amount on rent because I am not picky / don’t need anything overly fancy, so what do you think is the target range a first year should stay within? I also was thinking of living in River North, but have heard from some people not to live here. Would you suggest? If not, why? Also are there buildings that are known to have a younger demographic? Not sure if this would help, but I am moving not really knowing anyone so would like to be in an area of college graduates in the same position. 

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River North, Old Town, or Wrigley area are where I’d live as an analyst. River North is nice because you can walk to work and live in a fancy high rise and reasonably convenient to  restaurants, bars, etc. (although I don’t really love the scene there to be honest). Old Town is less walkable to work (can still do it on a nice day but it’s generally too far for the day to day commute) but is just a very fun area to be as an analyst. Lots of fun bars, decent proximity to restaurants and the park, tons of people in their early 20s running around. Wrigleyville is a similar vibe to old town but IMO not generally a little shittier and the worst commute to the Loop. 

 

Used to live in the West Loop and would recommend River North or Old Town for analyst years. West Loop is way more of a restaurant spot than a bar spot and while it has good access to grocery stores and gyms, you really don't have many places to go out other than Feds and Texan Taco. Crowd is more in their 30s rather than their 20s and rent is expensive at 2k for a studio and 2.5k for a nice 1 bed. If you are looking for a younger crowd, look at River North or Old Town.

 

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