Best PlacesCheltenham, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Cheltenham, Chicago, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Cheltenham, Chicago ranks 5,367th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Long commutes pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on low disaster risk.
The best neighborhoods in Cheltenham, Chicago
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Cheltenham, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Cheltenham, Chicago ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
Where Cheltenham, Chicago ranks low
- Short commute39.0 minutes each way, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Cheltenham, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Cheltenham, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $52,636; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Cheltenham, Chicago's effective rate of 1.25%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Cheltenham, Chicago
Cheltenham, Chicago runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Cheltenham, Chicago.
Who works in Cheltenham, Chicago, and how
Work in Cheltenham, Chicago centers on health care & social and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in Cheltenham, Chicago
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Cheltenham, Chicago.
What the weather is like in Cheltenham, Chicago, month by month
Cheltenham, Chicago sees roughly 76 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 28° | 22° |
| April | 61° | 50° | 43° |
| July | 86° | 77° | 70° |
| October | 66° | 57° | 49° |
Flying in and out of Cheltenham, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 10 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 9.4 million passengers in 2025, with 113 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Cheltenham, Chicago
Schools across Cheltenham, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Ninos Heroes Elem Academic CtrF · 8% proficient
- Mann Elem SchoolF · 6% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Cheltenham, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Cheltenham, Chicago measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Cheltenham, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Cheltenham, Chicago
Is Cheltenham, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Cheltenham, Chicago ranks 5,367th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, big-city access, and transit, and lowest on long commutes and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Cheltenham, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $199,907. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $52,636 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is Cheltenham, Chicago safe?
Cheltenham, Chicago is safer than 4% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $811 per resident a year.
Compare Cheltenham, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Cheltenham, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Cheltenham, Chicago represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Cheltenham, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Cheltenham, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Cheltenham, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Cheltenham, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Cheltenham, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Cheltenham, Chicago detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.