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Can I find affordable housing within commutting distance of Chicago?

Hi all, I'm a Belgian resident and am planning on moving to the States later on. Could you tell me where I could find affordable housing in Chicago or surrounding areas and also tell me how much I should make a month to live well (would an Executive administrative assistant make it?) So I could get an idea. Thanks I appreciate all your opinions.

Public Comments

1. Buy affortable house in Naperville. Close to Route 59 metra train station. It also has a park and ride place. train from rte 59 takes 45 - 50 minutes to reach Union Stattion (downtown) chicago. Absolutely the best way and hassle free way to commute and use your time effectively without the pain of driving.
2. You can try any of the suburbs, but it is a bit cheaper to actually live right in the city than the suburbs if you're planning on an apartment that is. Houses in the city are expensive. Houses cost less the further away from the city you get, apartments seemed to cost more. I don't know why. We have metra lines going to the north, northwest, west, and south/southwest suburbs (the north one even goes all the way to Kenosha, WI) so basically you could work down town and live anywhere along one of those train routes and not need a car. You especially won't really need a car if you live right in the city because we have the El and several bus lines. If it is affordable housing you're looking for you might want to stay away from places like Highland Park, Lake Bluff, and Lake Forest as these are pretty much cities where the "rich folk" live. If you want to live right in the city, apartments are cheaper on the outskirts of the city. The far north side is pretty decent, though not the best of neighborhoods, and pretty affordable on a low salary. The south side is still a bit...suspect and crime ridden as far as I know. If you're trying to buy a house though, good luck. They cost a lot out here.