Updated September 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List's August 2026 estimates.
Apartment List's Rent Index estimates Chicago's median monthly rent at $1,898 in August 2026, 4.5% higher than a year earlier, with one-bedrooms at $1,759 and two-bedrooms at $1,915. If you're searching for a one-bedroom, use the one-bedroom median rather than the median for all apartment sizes. These bedroom-specific medians give you a starting point for comparing apartments in the neighborhoods you're considering.
Chicago rents have been above their year-earlier level for 62 consecutive months, according to Apartment List's estimates, and the August 2026 median was about $10 below the July 2026 high, the highest reading in the city's series, and 14.3% above August 2022, when the U.S. median peaked. Below, see which way prices are moving, how availability has changed, whether the time of year matters, and where rent runs lower nearby.
Median Monthly Rent, Chicago and U.S., August 2026
| Apartment size | Chicago | U.S. | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sizes | $1,898 | $1,390 | Chicago $508 higher |
| One-bedroom | $1,759 | $1,221 | Chicago $538 higher |
| Two-bedroom | $1,915 | $1,376 | Chicago $539 higher |
Source: Apartment List Rent Index August 2026.
Chicago ranked 20th among the 100 largest U.S. cities for overall median rent in August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates, at 36.5% above the national median and $29 below Miami's $1,927. It ranked 17th for one-bedroom and 20th for two-bedroom median rent. These figures estimate the median rent on new leases across the whole city, so compare the listings you're considering with the median for your bedroom count rather than expecting them to match it.
Apartment List's figure is an estimate of the median rent on new leases across Chicago's whole rental market, older buildings included. It is built from Census Bureau rent data and price changes on the same units in Apartment List's listings. A figure that averages the apartments advertised on one listing site describes that site's vacant inventory, and figures built that way tend to run higher, according to Apartment List's rent estimate methodology.
Down from last month, up from January and a year earlier. Chicago's overall median rent was 0.5% lower in August 2026 than in July but 6.7% higher than in January 2026 and 4.5% higher than in August 2025, according to Apartment List's estimates. For scale, Apartment List's national median rose 0.1% in August and was 0.8% lower than a year earlier, while Illinois's median was 3.1% higher than a year earlier.
Each comparison ends in August 2026. Chicago's median fell from September 2025 through January 2026, then rose in each month from February through July before easing in August, which is how it can be below July and above January at the same time. Apartment List's estimates show the same shape in 2025: rents rose 8.7% from January to August, then fell in each month from September through December.
Yes, by 4.5%, or about $82 a month. Chicago's overall median rent has been above the same month a year earlier for 62 consecutive months, since July 2021, in Apartment List's estimates. Over the twelve months in the tables below, Chicago's annual increase ranged from 4.3% to 7.3%, while the U.S. median ran 0.8% to 1.6% below its year-earlier level. Chicago's August increase was the 12th largest among the 100 largest U.S. cities, 46 of which had a higher median than a year earlier.
The 2026 months show the winter low and the climb to a new high. According to Apartment List's estimates, Chicago's overall median fell to $1,779 in January 2026, then rose in every month to $1,908 by July, the highest in the series, before easing to $1,898 in August.
Chicago Median Monthly Rent and Year-over-Year Change, January to August 2026
| Month | Chicago median | Chicago year over year | U.S. year over year |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | $1,898 | +4.5% | -0.8% |
| July 2026 | $1,908 | +4.7% | -1.0% |
| June 2026 | $1,904 | +4.6% | -1.2% |
| May 2026 | $1,879 | +4.3% | -1.4% |
| April 2026 | $1,853 | +4.9% | -1.6% |
| March 2026 | $1,823 | +5.4% | -1.6% |
| February 2026 | $1,795 | +6.0% | -1.4% |
| January 2026 | $1,779 | +6.5% | -1.3% |
Source: Apartment List analysis of its monthly rent estimates, overall median, August 2026 data release.
The four months before that were the fall decline. Chicago's overall median fell from $1,804 in September to $1,781 in December 2025, according to Apartment List's estimates, while its year-over-year increase ran from 5.0% to 7.3%, the largest of the twelve months.
Chicago Median Monthly Rent and Year-over-Year Change, September to December 2025
| Month | Chicago median | Chicago year over year | U.S. year over year |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | $1,781 | +7.3% | -1.2% |
| November 2025 | $1,792 | +7.3% | -1.1% |
| October 2025 | $1,798 | +6.2% | -0.9% |
| September 2025 | $1,804 | +5.0% | -0.9% |
Source: Apartment List analysis of its monthly rent estimates, overall median, August 2026 data release.
Yes, about $10 a month below it. Chicago's overall median rent peaked at $1,908 in July 2026 and stood at $1,898 in August 2026, 0.5% lower, according to Apartment List's analysis of its monthly rent estimates. That is 14.3% above August 2022, when the U.S. median peaked; the U.S. median in August 2026 was 3.6% below its August 2022 level. Chicago's pre-pandemic high was about $1,519 in July 2019. The median fell 14.1% between then and January 2021, passed its 2019 level again in August 2021, and was 24.9% above it by August 2026.
A larger share of apartments was listed as available than a year ago, and the apartments that leased had been listed for fewer days. In August 2026, 6.70% of units in the Chicago apartment buildings covered by Apartment List's Vacancy Index were listed as available, up from 5.88% a year earlier and below the U.S. share of 7.08%. Apartments that leased in August 2026 had been listed for a median of 26.3 days, according to Apartment List's time-on-market data, down from 30.7 days in August 2025 and below the U.S. median of 31.7 days.
Listing Time and Available Share, Chicago and U.S., August 2025 and August 2026
| Measure | Chicago, August 2025 | Chicago, August 2026 | U.S., August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median days listed before leasing | 30.7 days | 26.3 days | 31.7 days |
| Share of apartments listed as available | 5.88% | 6.70% | 7.08% |
Source: Apartment List, time-on-market data and Vacancy Index, August 2026.
The available share fell to 4.81% in December 2025, the lowest in Apartment List's Chicago series, which begins in 2017, then rose in each of the seven months to July 2026. Listing times have run below their 2019 to 2025 averages in every month of 2026, and June's 18.7 days was the shortest in that series, which began in 2019; over the year, Chicago's median listing time fell while the U.S. median rose from 29.3 to 31.7 days. The two measures describe different things: the share is how much of the covered stock is listed, and listing time describes apartments that already leased. Ask about availability and the application timeline when you arrange a tour.
Fall and winter, if price matters most. Chicago's overall median rent ended January below the previous September in all nine fall-to-winter periods from 2017-18 through 2025-26, according to Apartment List's analysis of its monthly estimates. Eight of the declines ranged from 0.7% to 3.3%; the ninth, from September 2020 to January 2021, was 9.0%. The most recent decline was 1.4%, or about $25, from September 2025 to January 2026.
Summer, by about three weeks. Apartment List's time-on-market data, averaged over 2019 to 2025, shows Chicago apartments that leased in June had been listed for a median of 23.1 days, against 43.2 days for apartments that leased in January. January's median exceeded June's in each of those seven years.
Chicago Seasonal Listing Times, 2019 to 2025
| Apartments leased in | Average monthly median listing time |
|---|---|
| January | 43.2 days |
| June | 23.1 days |
Source: Apartment List analysis of its time-on-market data, Chicago city, 2019 to 2025.
Those figures describe apartments that already leased. For a place you are considering now, ask about its available move-in date and application timeline.
Aurora, for one-bedroom apartments. Its one-bedroom median of $1,468 was the lowest among the nine Chicago metro area cities with published estimates in Apartment List's August 2026 data, $291 below Chicago's $1,759. Six of the eight other cities had a lower one-bedroom median than Chicago's. Carol Stream's overall median of $1,826 was the only one below Chicago's $1,898, and no city in either table had a lower two-bedroom median than Chicago's $1,915.
Chicago-Area Cities With a Lower One-Bedroom Median Than Chicago, August 2026
| City | All sizes | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Change in overall median from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, IL | $1,949 | $1,468 | $1,933 | -0.6% |
| Downers Grove, IL | $1,903 | $1,525 | $2,041 | +4.0% |
| Carol Stream, IL | $1,826 | $1,553 | $1,920 | +0.8% |
| Arlington Heights, IL | $1,953 | $1,637 | $2,086 | +1.2% |
| Hoffman Estates, IL | $2,376 | $1,695 | $2,329 | +0.7% |
| Schaumburg, IL | $2,029 | $1,740 | $2,139 | 0.0% |
Source: Apartment List rent estimates, August 2026. Cities sorted by one-bedroom median; each row covers that city's own boundaries.
Naperville and Wheeling had higher one-bedroom medians than Chicago, at $1,797 and $1,874, according to Apartment List's August 2026 estimates. All eight cities had smaller one-year changes in their overall medians than Chicago's 4.5%: Downers Grove's 4.0% was the largest among them, and Aurora's and Wheeling's medians were lower than a year earlier.
Chicago and Chicago-Area Cities With a Higher One-Bedroom Median, August 2026
| City | All sizes | One-bedroom | Two-bedroom | Change in overall median from a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $1,898 | $1,759 | $1,915 | +4.5% |
| Naperville, IL | $2,120 | $1,797 | $2,148 | +1.0% |
| Wheeling, IL | $2,033 | $1,874 | $2,120 | -1.2% |
Source: Apartment List rent estimates, August 2026. Cities sorted by one-bedroom median; each row covers that city's own boundaries.
A higher citywide median doesn't necessarily mean higher rent for the apartment size you need, because the overall median pools all apartment sizes while the bedroom medians describe separate groups. Aurora shows the difference: its overall median of $1,949 was $51 above Chicago's $1,898, but its one-bedroom median was $291 lower.
Aurora, Naperville, Downers Grove, and Carol Stream are west of the city; Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, and Wheeling are northwest. Whether a lower rent works for you also depends on where you need to go regularly.
Use Apartment List's August 2026 medians for Chicago, $1,759 for a one-bedroom and $1,915 for a two-bedroom, to set a price reference, then compare what apartments in that range actually offer.
For example, a Chicago two-bedroom listed at $2,100 would be $185 above Apartment List's August 2026 two-bedroom median of $1,915. Its condition, location, lease terms, required monthly charges, and included utilities can help you judge whether that difference is worthwhile.
If your moving date is flexible, include fall and winter listings in your search; if it is fixed, compare the apartments available when you need to move.
Build a shortlist of places that meet your needs and compare their total monthly costs side by side. That gives you a practical next step: deciding which apartments deserve a tour and what to ask before applying.
For help fitting rent into your broader budget, see our Chicago cost of living guide.
Rent, vacancy, and listing-time figures on this page come from Apartment List's August 2026 data release, published in September 2026. Earlier months are shown as revised in that release.
Data Sources and Calculation Methods Behind This Page
| Source or method | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Rent estimates | Median rent on new leases signed in the month. |
| Vacancy Index | Share of units listed as available in buildings of 10 or more units that list on Apartment List. |
| Listing time | Median days from first listing to lease, for apartments leased in the month. |
| Historical rent figures | Medians before August 2026 are chained backward from $1,898 using Apartment List's published monthly changes. The series begins in 2017. |
| Seasonal comparisons | September-to-January changes in that series, nine periods from 2017-18 through 2025-26. |
| Geographic scope | City figures cover Chicago only. Metro figures cover Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, which spans Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin and includes the city. |
| Rankings | The 100 largest U.S. cities by population. |
| National Rent Report | Nationwide rent figures, August 2026. |
All three data series are published on Apartment List's data and rent estimates page.
Apartment List's Rent Index puts Chicago's median rent at $1,898 in August 2026 across all apartment sizes, $1,759 for a one-bedroom, and $1,915 for a two-bedroom. Apartment List reports the median, the midpoint of new-lease rents signed in the month, so a figure another source labels an average rent is not directly comparable.
Using 30% of gross household income as a starting point for rent alone, a household would need about $76,000 a year for Apartment List's August 2026 Chicago median rent of $1,898, about $70,000 for the $1,759 one-bedroom median, and about $77,000 for the $1,915 two-bedroom median. Utilities and other housing costs would need additional room in the budget. Apartment List's rent calculator applies the same 30% starting point to your own income and lets you adjust the share. For the broader budget, see our Chicago cost of living guide.
About $82 a month. Apartment List's estimates put Chicago's overall median rent at about $1,816 in August 2025 and $1,898 in August 2026, an increase of 4.5%.
Compared with a year earlier, no. Chicago's overall median rent has been above the same month of the previous year for 62 consecutive months through August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates. Within the year, the median rose 6.7% from January to August 2026, and August's 0.5% dip from July was the first monthly decline since January.
About 26%. Compared with March 2020, Chicago's median rent was 26.4% higher in August 2026, while the national median was 19.7% higher, according to Apartment List, in dollar terms without adjusting for inflation. The median rose about $199 between August 2020 and August 2022 and a further $238 between August 2022 and August 2026, a period in which the U.S. median fell 3.6%.
The city figure covers the City of Chicago; the metro figure covers the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area, which spans Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin and includes the city, Naperville, Elgin, and the surrounding suburbs and towns. In August 2026, according to Apartment List's estimates, Chicago's overall median of $1,898 was 8.5% above the metro's $1,750, its one-bedroom median was 14.5% above the metro's $1,536, and its two-bedroom median 8.7% above the metro's $1,762. Because the metro figure includes the city, it says nothing on its own about what any one surrounding city costs.
In unit laundry, Patio / balcony, Granite counters, Hardwood floors, Dishwasher, Pet friendly + more
In unit laundry, Patio / balcony, Granite counters, Hardwood floors, Dishwasher, Pet friendly + more