What are the pros and cons of living in Chicago?

If you want to live in Chicago you should know that it is one of the largest and most populated metropolitan cities in the United States, however, do you know What are the pros and cons of living in Chicago? We will tell you in this article.

The well-known windy city is one of the favorite destinations for people who want to immigrate to the United States because it has a large labor market, it has cultural diversity where the second largest foreign minority is Hispanic American and commercial establishments such as supermarkets, restaurants and clothing stores are open 24 hours a day.

But do you know What are the pros and cons of living in Chicago? Here we explain it to you.

If you want to learn more about Chicago this will interest you:Is Chicago a nice city to live in?

Here are the pros and cons of living in Chicago

If you want to live and work in Chicago you need to know what are the pros and cons of living in Chicago, we will tell you below:

The pros of living in Chicago

One of the main pros of living in Chicago is that they offer a very good transportation system and you can move from the train, bus or bicycles (if you do not have your bike do not worry because the government made many available to residents and tourists) and is that the bike paths are in very good condition. This makes Chicago one of the few cities in the United States where it is not necessary to buy a vehicle to get around.

On the other hand, Chicago enjoys an extraordinary gastronomy and it is full of dishes that come from a variety of cultures. In addition, among the most popular native foods nationwide are Chicago-style pizza and hot dogs.

The windy city also stands out for having a sports culture always present in its citizens and in Chicago you can enjoy NBA, MLB and NFL games.

As we said before, stores such as supermarkets and restaurants are available to citizens and tourists 24 hours a day.

It is important to note that the windy city has an outstanding architecture, so you can visit several impressive places.

Last but not least, in Chicago there is a great labor demand, so you will surely find the best options to work and live well in this city of Illinois.

The cons of living in Chicago

You already know the pros of living in Chicago, now we tell you what are the cons of the windy city:

Just as it has pros, Chicago has cons and one of the best known is the cost of living, the city is very expensive and shopping in Chicago costs 8% more than in other cities in Illinois. In addition, housing is 24% more expensive, transportation 23% and medical services 11%, the result of all this is that the cost of living in the city is 16% more expensive than in the rest of the state.

Taxes are quite high and as an immigrant the adaptation process can be a bit hard.

On the other hand there is the security, some years ago there was control but little by little the delinquency has been increasing, however, this problem only affects the areas and neighborhoods with higher index of poverty.

Such is the quality of life in Chicago:What is Chicagos rating for living

The climate is also a disadvantage of living in Chicago and in the winter months its inhabitants are subjected to very cold. Temperatures in this city reach around 0 °C and even lower figures have been reported, especially in the month of December, when the streets are filled with snow, also the strong winds of the windy city can be difficult to bear.

Finally, despite the efficiency of public transportation, traffic in the windy city is quite chaotic, especially during rush hour, so you should always add at least 20 minutes to your commute.

Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of living in Chicago, tell us do you dare to live in Chicago?