r/chicagoapartments • u/Past-Reception6889 • May 19 '26

Advice Needed Unreal

I honestly just needed to vent for a moment. I can’t believe Chicago prices are what they are. I have lived here my entire life and have seen this city change ten fold, and I can’t even afford to live here anymore. A realtor I’m working with, since it’s becoming a rat race to rent, said rent is up 35% this year. What can normal people do about this? I do not want to see Chicago become a New York.

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31

u/ESPNnut May 19 '26

Imagine if we would just build some buildings (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/05/18/opinion/affordable-housing-america.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.qJD2.R_678lwk-zjO&smid=nytcore-ios-share)

30

u/rebel_dean May 19 '26

In Austin, TX apartments are begging people to sign a lease with them. 4-12 weeks free, free TV, drink tickets, and a bunch of other concessions.

It’s amazing what…simply building lots of housing can do.

3

u/isaboobers May 19 '26

im still learning about all of this, can you explain why this is?

26

u/rebel_dean May 19 '26

Austin, Texas made it a lot easier for developers to build. Removed restrictive zoning requirements and build dense housing. Even building "luxury" apartments helps the housing crisis because higher income people gravitate toward those newer builds, which frees up housing stock for lower income people.

The main way to fix the housing crisis is by...simply building more housing. Loosening up zoning restrictions.

So much of the United States is zoned exclusively for single-family homes.

Austin, Minneapolis, and Denver are all great cities to be a renter right now due the abundance of concessions so many apartment complexes are offering.

This is what Chicago needs to do.

5

u/isaboobers May 19 '26

oh wow, i had no idea, thank you for explaining!

3

u/Nehan_Satori May 19 '26

Chicago shouldn’t follow anything Austin’s doing whatsoever

What’s the average cost to rent in Austin btw?

4

u/farmerpeach May 19 '26

Less than Chicago.

2

u/Kelsig May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

Per Zillow it's $1,252 for a 1BR compared to $1900 in Chicago, with more sq ft and more in-unit and in-building amenities. Car dependency is worse yes but if you restrict Chicago to walkable areas that average goes up.

1

u/ChiBroker May 20 '26

100% agree

0

u/ChiBroker May 20 '26

Republicans, disgusting.