Family of 3 moving from China back to the States at the end of November. I will be working downtown and needs some advice on living in Chicago in general.
Housing:
Currently we are only considering Lincoln Park, Lake View and Gold Coast (these are the areas that we are more familiar with, but will consider other areas). I work in professional services and my hours are unpredictable, and I may need to be at the office on short notice. Therefore, living close to work is one of the most important factors in choosing a residence. In addition, I do not want to drive to work due to the expensive parking and traffic congestion, so living close to public transportation is equally important in my search criteria. My office is just a step away from Grand Central, so metro/CTA will be the preferred method of getting to work.
I have a budget of $2300-3000 per month for housing (in the case of owned residence, that amount would need to include all taxes, annual repair/maintenance costs, etc) and we are prepared to either buy or rent, depending on whichever makes more financial sense. I am currently paying $2600 per month in rent for my apartment in China. I have about 80-100k for down payment if purchasing a property makes more sense. <note: budgeted amount will comprise a relatively small portion of the take home pay and networth, respectively, and we are not looking to lower the amount>
Does it make more sense to buy or rent? Are there any other areas we should consider given the above criteria?
Education:
My kid is turning 6 and will be going to kindergarten when we move back and go to elementary school in the fall of next year. She is currently in a private kindergarten (paid for by employer) but will transition into public kindergarten (if there is such a thing) and go to a public elementary school. We have done some initial research and all the good public schools appear to be clustered around Gold Coast and Lincoln Park areas. Would appreciate it to get some feedback on schools in the different areas of the city from other MMM parents living/had lived in the city.
Car:
We thought about going car-less and rely solely on public transportation, Uber, zip car and weekend rentals. However, we have decided it makes sense to buy a car. Given that we plan to live in the city, how convenient is it to get the car serviced if it brakes down? If there are dealers offering repair services or independent shops in the city, we may consider purchasing an older car with higher mileage; otherwise we may decide to spend more to purchase a newer car or a new car. I am currently leaning toward E91 (had an E39 for 10 years before I moved to China and loved driving a BMW), but that may change depending on if I can get it serviced in the city and the then available inventory, as I do not plan to purchase a car right away when I move back.
For MMM with cars in Chicago, how much do you drive in a month and what are your monthly costs?
Other Transportation:
I have thought about taking up biking when I move back to the States (not safe in China, as no one appears to obey the traffic rules). However, I have not ridden a bike in over 10 years and I am not sure where to start. I have driven through Chicago and the different areas, and to be honest I would be a little scared riding with traffic if I were to do it when I move back. I need a step plan to ease myself into biking and to become a more competent rider.
Are there any other transportation tips anyone can offer (e.g., how often do you use zip car and like services (if at all), is it convenient, etc.) Any useful apps that we should have for biking, driving, using zip car-like services and taking public transportation?
Grocery/Restaurant:
We have accumulated some bad habits living in China, including having a cook/helper, dining out whenever, buying lunch everyday, etc. However, as these services/indulgences tend to cost a lot more in the States, we will need to pare down. The plan is to cook all our own food for the weekdays, including bring lunches to work. We still want to dine out on the weekends.
For MMM living in the city, where do you do most of your grocery shopping at? What's a reasonable monthly food budget for a family of 3 (ex restaurant)? If professional house cleaning is required, what's a good service provider and how much do they charge for cleaning?
Misc:
Are there any MMM gathering in Chicago where we can learn more about efficient living? We have visited Chicago numerous times, have family members living in the burbs have never actually lived in the city, so this will be an all new experience for us. We would appreciate any advice on making the move and transition as painless as possible.