It's not cheap if you live in a trendy neighborhood, eat out a lot, and own a car. But it is cheap if you live in a safe working-class neighborhood and rely on

It's not cheap if you live in a trendy neighborhood, eat out a lot, and own a car. But it is cheap if you live in a safe working-class neighborhood and rely on the CTA. In 2003 I lived in an apartment in Pilsen with 2 startup founders and lived off of $800/month - that was my share of the rent, utilities, internet, and company cellphone plan along with food. And I probably could have saved $100/month if I didn't go to bars.