Best PlacesNear South Side, Chicago, IL Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Near South Side, Chicago, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Near South Side, Chicago ranks 678th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Near South Side, 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.
Near South Side, Chicago's strengths and weaknesses
Where Near South Side, Chicago ranks high
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
Where Near South Side, Chicago ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Near South Side, Chicago
A household needs to earn about $143,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Near South Side, Chicago home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $123,060, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Near South Side, Chicago's effective rate of 1.73%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Near South Side, Chicago
Near South Side, Chicago runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Near South Side, Chicago.
Who works in Near South Side, Chicago, and how
Work in Near South Side, Chicago centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 44%
- Work from home 30%
- Transit, walk, or bike 27%
Life in Near South Side, Chicago
Near South Side, Chicago has more restaurants and bars per resident than 74% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 80% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Near South Side, Chicago and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Near South Side, Chicago, month by month
Near South Side, 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 Near South Side, Chicago
Chicago Midway International sits about 8 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 Near South Side, Chicago
Schools across Near South Side, Chicago average a C+, better than 49% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Stem Magnet Academy ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- South Loop Elem SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- National Teachers Elem AcademyC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Perspectives Chtr - Joslin CampusF · 4% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Near South Side, Chicago school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Near South Side, 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 Near South Side, Chicago against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Near South Side, Chicago suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of neighborhoods and 30% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Near South Side, Chicago
Is Near South Side, Chicago a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Near South Side, Chicago ranks 678th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on state finances and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Near South Side, Chicago expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $485,550. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $123,060 median income, cost of living beats 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Near South Side, Chicago safe?
Near South Side, Chicago is safer than 24% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $506 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Near South Side, Chicago?
July highs average about 86 degrees, and January highs near 34 with lows near 22. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 34% of neighborhoods.
Is Near South Side, Chicago good for families?
Schools beat 49% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 24%, and childcare runs $1,105 a month.
Compare Near South Side, Chicago with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Near South Side, Chicago. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Near South Side, 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.
Near South Side, Chicago detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Near South Side, Chicago: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Near South Side, Chicago: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Near South Side, Chicago: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Near South Side, Chicago: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Near South Side, 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.