Moving to New York? Start here
What this New York guide covers, what makes moving to New York different from anywhere else, and how to use the guide before your move.
What should you do in your first 30 days in Chicago?
A practical plan for your first month in Chicago: the paperwork with deadlines, setting up transit and services, learning your neighborhood, and meeting people.
How do you move to Chicago? A step-by-step checklist
A step-by-step checklist for moving to Chicago: what to do two months out, how to handle moving-day parking and high-rise rules, and the deadlines to meet after you arrive.
What is the job market like in Chicago?
Chicago’s job market explained: the biggest employers, the industries that drive the economy, typical salaries, and where the jobs are for newcomers and recent grads.
Move-in fee vs. security deposit in Chicago: what’s the difference?
Why so many Chicago landlords charge a move-in fee instead of a security deposit, how each one works under the city’s renter rules, and how to protect your money either way.
Do you need a car in Chicago?
Whether you need a car in Chicago depends on where you live and work. What car ownership costs here, the parking rules to know, and how people get around without one.
What are the best Chicago neighborhoods for newcomers?
Eleven Chicago neighborhoods where newcomers often start, with average rents, the ‘L’ lines that serve them, what each one feels like, and how to choose between them.
How bad are Chicago winters, really?
What Chicago winters are really like: how cold and snowy it gets, how wind and the lake change things, the parking bans and heat rules you need to know, and what to buy before your first winter.
How much does it cost to live in Chicago?
What it really costs to live in Chicago in 2026: a monthly budget for a single renter, rent by apartment size, taxes, getting around, and the salary you need.
How does apartment hunting in Chicago work?
How renting in Chicago works, from when to start looking and what the buildings are called, to what landlords check, what you’ll pay up front, and the renter rights that protect you.