Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-07-31 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
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Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 7.68% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on 4.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Above-average rent-to-price ratio (7.68%)
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$488/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 5.0% < mortgage rate 7.4%)
Counties in Chicago, IL
Section 8 in Chicago, IL: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coffeyville, KS Coffeyville, KS | 85 | $101,366 | $862 | 10.20% | Strong Buy | View | |
Blytheville, AR Blytheville, AR | 84 | $115,156 | $1,064 | 11.08% | Strong Buy | View | |
Roanoke Rapids, NC Roanoke Rapids, NC | 84 | $107,523 | $1,077 | 12.02% | Strong Buy | View | |
Enid, OK Enid, OK | 83 | $144,157 | $1,250 | 10.40% | Strong Buy | View | |
Houghton, MI Houghton, MI | 83 | $194,696 | $1,733 | 10.68% | Strong Buy | View | |
Current Chicago, IL | 67 | $353,998 | $2,266 | 7.68% | Buy |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Chicago, IL metro area scores 67/100, ranking #297 of 894 US metros (top 33%). The 7.68% rent-to-price ratio falls below the 1% monthly rent rule (12% annually). Check operating costs and financing before making an offer. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.