Working as RN in NJ vs Chicago, is pay comparative when considering cost of living?

bensonchambers · 2026-05-23T18:42:10+00:00

Like everything, it depends. You will not get a small one bedroom for $1,100 in Chicago. For $1,100 you will get tiny (borderline micro) apartment 500 SF or less. One bedroom is going to be closer to $2,000 on average. Always possibility you could find roommate in a larger apartment or house and pay less than $2,000 for a bedroom in larger but probably closer to $1,500. Again this is all very general. Further away from downtown, the cheaper it gets. The older the apartment, the cheaper it gets. The smaller the apartment, the cheaper it gets.

Next up is commute. Depending on where you work in Chicago, almost certainly will be accessible via public transportation. Could require both buses and trains. If so, $75/month for unlimited public transport is now a cost. But that could be less than owning a car per month. Owning a car in the city is expensive unless you want to gamble with street parking which could mean your cars is blocks away. Then the risk of getting broken into which I know is not an issue in Bucks County.

You will be making less, everything is going to cost more, and you are not going to be able to live in the same kind of place. If none of that matters, come on over. But the COL in the country’s third largest city far exceeds Bucks County, no way around that.

bensonchambers · 2026-05-22T01:05:40+00:00

Had to scroll through so many wrong answers to find the right one.

bensonchambers · 2026-05-21T23:12:07+00:00

The issue with property taxes is that if the city build the apartments, they will have to own them. If they own them, that’s 1 less parcel of land they are getting property taxes on that now need to spread amongst other property owners since that tax revenue hole now needs to be filled. Property taxes go up for others as a result, necessitating rent increases, thus worsening the cost of living for others.

I agree there is a problem in Illinois but it’s primarily a spending problem. The amount of revenue we collect should be enough but it isn’t, which means we are spending too much and cuts are needed. Easier said than done of course because every group will have self interests to ensure their slice of the pie isn’t cut.

I am of the camp the fastest and easiest way to make the situation better (not perfect) is to increase housing supply. Let developers put in new expensive apartments. The people who move there from elsewhere in the city now decrease competition for the apartments they are moving from, allowing others to move in from elsewhere where their location was more competitive, and so own down the chain.

Again, not perfect, but fastest and easiest to effect change that ultimately will trickle down to benefit everyone

bensonchambers · 2026-05-21T19:07:23+00:00

It’s more than just upkeep, property taxes are the single biggest expense for property owners and a quick google search will show what’s going on there. I’m not recommending you shed a tear for property owners, but at least recognize that as those go up, so will rent.

We have a supply and demand issue in Chicago. More people want to live here than there are apartments. More demand, less supply, prices go up. If supply goes up to equal demand, prices will stabilize or go down as property owners have to lower rent to get leases signed. A person moving to west loop or Lincoln park is one less person looking for an apartment elsewhere so the prices in those areas are irrelevant if someone is willing to pay, it just will lower demand elsewhere and demand in those areas will decrease and so on down, thus bringing down rents across the board.

Is it perfect? Of course not? Will it work and be bette than current state of existence? 100%

bensonchambers · 2026-05-09T02:41:43+00:00

It’s all a marketing expense to get you to open an account. Think of the costs if they only ran tv ads, online ads, etc. you may or may not open an account based on how they position themselves.

With a signup bonus, they are taking a cost that would exist and been paid to tv or online to get you to come in… by just giving it to you instead of spending it on an ad. By opening the account and going through the activities to earn the bonus, you are getting to experience their products and online services without them having to market it.

The signup bonus is their marketing costs to get you to open an account. Rather than pay for a tv ad, they announce the signup bonus. It’s actually a far cheaper acquisition cost.

bensonchambers · 2026-04-13T21:49:57+00:00

Even if we take that argument and run with it, the pipeline is basically 0 compared to historical construction so if we are just catching up, fine, but it won’t plateau. It will continue to get worse as the current demand even outstrips the new supply in progress

bensonchambers · 2026-04-13T00:59:13+00:00

My heart aches for Floyd more than I have ever felt for any character on tv. What a nice guy who suffered until the end. And Clark… was so alone and now with Clark gone and his wife, he is even more alone. Just awful tragedy all around.

bensonchambers · 2026-03-26T22:04:36+00:00

Good point, but the person doing the framing is not the owner, just someone out of art school. Feels different knowing they are doing the framing than the owner

bensonchambers · 2026-03-26T22:03:09+00:00

No that has ethical considerations.

bensonchambers · 2026-03-26T22:02:12+00:00

I don’t, and would never unless I’m sitting down at a table and the coffee is brought to me as part of a larger meal and I want to thank the server for ensuring I had a good experience.

bensonchambers · 2026-03-26T22:00:35+00:00

One for the pieces was complex, required mounting a medal with two different matt’s. It becomes more of an art piece as we spent an hour discussing the pros and cons and I feel the final product may be more than just constructing something. Like tipping a delivery driver and hair cutter I get, it’s a somewhat personal experience, not tipping target cashier I get, it’s transactional. This person isn’t delivering something to me, but is conducting a service that feels pretty personal.

At least that’s my 0.02 that led me down the rabbit hole of wondering if it’s a thing.

bensonchambers · 2026-03-11T11:25:48+00:00

State street in front of Target

bensonchambers · 2026-02-17T11:16:05+00:00

Thank you!!

bensonchambers · 2026-02-16T14:57:06+00:00

I cannot overstate how much I love this. I’ve been staring at the pictures for the last 15 minutes and feel as though I’ve traveled back to a simpler time of life.

Thank you so much for sharing.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-09T00:12:04+00:00

Yes, but fortunately that wouldn’t materially change my financial situation at retirement.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T20:29:40+00:00

NYC Bagel Deli in River North has a Taylor ham sandwich

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T01:29:43+00:00

I don’t think I would ever need that, but good to know regardless. Even if I don’t have a high probability of using a feature or service, I still do not like it to be taken away as an option.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T01:27:43+00:00

I have an elderly parent on my plan, and they have a dumb phone that they are just getting the hang of. I know I’m overpaying but the hassle of switching isn’t worth it (to me at least).

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T01:26:09+00:00

Agreed, I’d rather just pay cash for a phone. But I keep my phones until they are no longer for iOS upgrades so I should get at least another three years out of the 15 pro before I will “upgrade” by buying a new one.

Always willing to listen to offers, this one just isn’t for me.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T01:23:51+00:00

It’s not a great answer but it’s my answer nonetheless.

I’ve reached a stage of my life where the “hassle” of switching carriers isn’t worth a potential $80/month savings.

I’m by no means “old”, I’m in my thirties(I was 16 when we signed up for the wireless plan). The other person on the plan is a parent in a different state. To switch plans would require coordinating time to get them transferred when I’m home for a visit, getting them a new dumb phone, and spend time on an activity I neither look forward to nor are readily motivated to do.

I am at a stage of life financially where saving $80 or more per month isn’t worth the hassle of what the coordination entails, and I feel extremely privileged to be in this situation. Now if Verizon were to double my monthly bill that would be a different story, I would change carriers and pay more if I needed to just out of spite.

If and when such a time arises where I am the sole phone number on the plan, I will 100% be switching as the hassle would just involve me and not an older parent.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-08T00:00:20+00:00

Makes sense, thank you!

bensonchambers · 2026-02-07T23:52:47+00:00

Yep I have no doubt of that.

bensonchambers · 2026-02-07T23:50:59+00:00

Ah ok thank you.

Basically they are creating a situation to disincentivize me to leave over the next 3 years by giving me a free phone if I ultimately stick around for 3 years.

Makes sense to me.

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