I toured a Chicago rental to see how it compared to my $2,200-a-month NYC apartment. It was more than twice the size for the same price.

I live in New York City and rent a one-bedroom apartment for $2,200 a month.
During a recent trip to Chicago, I toured an apartment for the same price, but it was twice as big.
The Chicago apartment also had more amenities than my NYC home, like in-unit laundry.

Sometimes, living in New York City means spending $2,200 a month for a one-bedroom apartment without an oven.

I've lived in six different apartments since moving to NYC in 2019. All but my current place have had ovens, but I'm always curious what the same rent could get me in other cities.

I was thinking about that difference on a recent trip to Chicago. In Queens, where I live, the average rent is $3,486, compared to $1,976 in Chicago, according to a January 2026 rent report from Apartments.com.

While I was there, I found myself scrolling through Zillow when I spotted a brand-new, three-bedroom apartment for $2,200 a month. It looked surprisingly spacious and luxurious for the price, so I decided to take a tour.

Before we talk about the rental in Chicago, let me tell you a little bit about my $2,200-a-month apartment in NYC.

Inside a living room with a vibrant rug and seating areas, a TV on the left, a guitar on the right, and a window in the back

I rent a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Queens. The 650-square-foot rental has an open-floor-plan kitchen and living space, as well as an additional small room I use for storage and recreation.

It's worth noting that my apartment lacks a few amenities. There are no laundry machines in the unit or on-site, and there's no oven — though I do have a stove top and a microwave.

I found a rental in Chicago with a similar commute to downtown for the same price.

A sidewalk with stairs to an above-ground train on the right and a building on the left

My Queens apartment is about a 40-minute train commute to Manhattan. The rental I toured was about 45 minutes from Downtown Chicago by train in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

The two-unit property was brand-new and stood next to similarly designed homes under construction.

Modern condos under construction on the right side of a sidewalk

The street was quiet and mostly empty when I visited on a weekday afternoon. Nearby, I noticed some restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit had two entrances.

A composite image of the exterior of a rectangular, modern condo building with snow in the front yard; and stairs going down a wooden patio with telephone wires, a telephone pole, and buildings in the background

Situated on the top floor, the unit had a front entrance used by both tenants and a private back entrance with a small patio. It's also worth noting that the rental comes with a parking spot.

My apartment in Queens has just one shared entrance, and tenants can pay extra for a parking spot, though I don't have a car.

The 1,400-square-foot space opened to a bright kitchen and living room.

A modern kitchen with an island on the left and stainless steel appliances

At 1,400 square feet, the Chicago rental was more than twice the size of my Queens apartment.

The kitchen was larger than mine and had more counter space. It was also sleek and modern, with marble countertops, a geometric backsplash, and stainless steel appliances, from the oven to the microwave.

The living space behind the kitchen was also larger than mine. It had three tall windows facing the front yard.

A long hallway with three closets led to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

A composite image of open doors leading to empty rooms with ceiling fans

My apartment has two closets — one in the bedroom and one by the front door. Both are quite small. So I was excited by the amount of storage space in the Chicago rental.

Two of the bedrooms looked slightly bigger than my own in NYC.

Inside an empty bedroom with wood floors, a closet, and an open door on the right

If I were to live in this rental, I'd use one of these bedrooms as a home office and the other as a recreational room.

The primary bedroom looked to be nearly twice the size of mine at home.

Inside an empty bedroom with two doors on the left and a window on the back left wall

The primary bedroom had a walk-in closet, an in-room bathroom, and more light fixtures than the other two bedrooms had.

The bathrooms looked luxurious.

A composite image of two modern, marble bathrooms

Both were modern and sleek with marble floors and contrasting backsplashes.

Back in the hallway, there was a laundry closet.

Inside an empty laundry closet with machine hook ups

Although the laundry closet was empty during my tour, the real-estate agent told me the rental included a washer and dryer that would be installed later.

I love living in NYC, but touring this Chicago rental has me thinking about how my money could stretch further in other cities.

A wide view of a busy street in downtown Chicago

In Chicago, I could have a home that's sleeker and more modern than my Queens apartment. I could have double the space, two more bedrooms, and an extra bathroom. I could have amenities I lack entirely, like an outdoor space, in-unit laundry, and an oven.

I don't see myself leaving NYC anytime soon, but sometimes, when I'm spending on laundry services or craving some homemade cookies, I daydream about a more luxurious life in Chicago.

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