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I toured a Chicago rental to see how it compared to my $2,200-a-month NYC apartment. It was more than twice the size for the same price.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Sometimes, living in New York City means spending $2,200 a month for a one-bedroom apartment without an oven.

I’ve lived in six different apartments since moving to NYC in 2019. All but my current place have had ovens, but I’m always curious what the same rent could get me in other cities.

I was thinking about that difference on a recent trip to Chicago. In Queens, where I live, the average rent is $3,486, compared to $1,976 in Chicago, according to a January 2026 rent report from Apartments.com.

While I was there, I found myself scrolling through Zillow when I spotted a brand-new, three-bedroom apartment for $2,200 a month. It looked surprisingly spacious and luxurious for the price, so I decided to take a tour.

Before we talk about the rental in Chicago, let me tell you a little bit about my $2,200-a-month apartment in NYC.

The author’s living room in her NYC apartment. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I rent a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Queens. The 650-square-foot rental has an open-floor-plan kitchen and living space, as well as an additional small room I use for storage and recreation.

It’s worth noting that my apartment lacks a few amenities. There are no laundry machines in the unit or on-site, and there’s no oven — though I do have a stove top and a microwave.

I found a rental in Chicago with a similar commute to downtown for the same price.


A sidewalk with stairs to an above-ground train on the right and a building on the left

Public transit near the rental. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My Queens apartment is about a 40-minute train commute to Manhattan. The rental I toured was about 45 minutes from Downtown Chicago by train in the Woodlawn neighborhood.

The two-unit property was brand-new and stood next to similarly designed homes under construction.


Modern condos under construction on the right side of a sidewalk

A street lined with new residential construction. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The street was quiet and mostly empty when I visited on a weekday afternoon. Nearby, I noticed some restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit had two entrances.


A composite image of the exterior of a rectangular, modern condo building with snow in the front yard; and stairs going down a wooden patio with telephone wires, a telephone pole, and buildings in the background

The front and back entrances to the rental. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Situated on the top floor, the unit had a front entrance used by both tenants and a private back entrance with a small patio. It’s also worth noting that the rental comes with a parking spot.

My apartment in Queens has just one shared entrance, and tenants can pay extra for a parking spot, though I don’t have a car.

The 1,400-square-foot space opened to a bright kitchen and living room.


A modern kitchen with an island on the left and stainless steel appliances

Inside the kitchen and living space in the Chicago rental. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

At 1,400 square feet, the Chicago rental was more than twice the size of my Queens apartment.

The kitchen was larger than mine and had more counter space. It was also sleek and modern, with marble countertops, a geometric backsplash, and stainless steel appliances, from the oven to the microwave.

The living space behind the kitchen was also larger than mine. It had three tall windows facing the front yard.

A long hallway with three closets led to the bedrooms and bathrooms.


A composite image of open doors leading to empty rooms with ceiling fans

Two of the three bedrooms in the Chicago rental. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My apartment has two closets — one in the bedroom and one by the front door. Both are quite small. So I was excited by the amount of storage space in the Chicago rental.

Two of the bedrooms looked slightly bigger than my own in NYC.


Inside an empty bedroom with wood floors, a closet, and an open door on the right

Inside one of the bedrooms. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

If I were to live in this rental, I’d use one of these bedrooms as a home office and the other as a recreational room.

The primary bedroom looked to be nearly twice the size of mine at home.


Inside an empty bedroom with two doors on the left and a window on the back left wall

Inside the primary bedroom. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The primary bedroom had a walk-in closet, an in-room bathroom, and more light fixtures than the other two bedrooms had.

The bathrooms looked luxurious.


A composite image of two modern, marble bathrooms

Bathrooms in the Chicago rental. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Both were modern and sleek with marble floors and contrasting backsplashes.

Back in the hallway, there was a laundry closet.


Inside an empty laundry closet with machine hook ups

Inside the laundry closet. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Although the laundry closet was empty during my tour, the real-estate agent told me the rental included a washer and dryer that would be installed later.

I love living in NYC, but touring this Chicago rental has me thinking about how my money could stretch further in other cities.


A wide view of a busy street in downtown Chicago

A snapshot of Downtown Chicago from the author’s trip. 

Joey Hadden/Business Insider

In Chicago, I could have a home that’s sleeker and more modern than my Queens apartment. I could have double the space, two more bedrooms, and an extra bathroom. I could have amenities I lack entirely, like an outdoor space, in-unit laundry, and an oven.

I don’t see myself leaving NYC anytime soon, but sometimes, when I’m spending on laundry services or craving some homemade cookies, I daydream about a more luxurious life in Chicago.




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Headshot of Ben Shimkus

An ‘ICE OUT Enterprise’ protest is urging Minnesota residents to book and later cancel rental cars

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Enterprise is the latest company caught in the crosshairs of anti-ICE protests.

A video showing protesters lined up outside of a Minnesota Enterprise Rent-A-Car location went viral earlier this week on TikTok, part of an “Ice out Enterprise” protest campaign.

Organizers encouraged participants to disrupt Enterprise’s operations by reserving rental cars and then canceling the bookings shortly before pickup — a tactic they say is designed to draw attention and strain vehicle availability that could be utilized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“Enterprise is renting cars to ICE agents and profiting from the violence that agents are bringing to our communities,” Minnesota organizers associated with the Sunrise Movement, a progressive climate and social justice advocacy group, posted on social media. The post asked protestors to “please be polite to employees when you contact them.”

An Enterprise employee working the counter at one of the rental car company’s Saint Paul, Minnesota, locations confirmed to Business Insider on Friday that protesters had been calling the store. The employee declined to comment further, citing the company’s media policy.

“I’ve called and told them I was disappointed that they were collaborating with ICE,” a commenter on Instagram said.

“They answered the phone super quickly,” another added. “I was told a complaint would be logged right away.”

The viral video, which was posted on Thursday, had more than 323,000 views on TikTok as of publication. It shows a line of demonstrators holding signs reading “No cars for ICE” and “Cancel ICE contracts now.”

It’s unclear if Enterprise has any contract with ICE. Enterprise did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The effort is part of a “week of actions” in Minnesota leading up to a “business blackout” on Friday to protest ICE’s presence in the state. The Sunrise and Sunrise Twin Cities groups didn’t respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

The video has also drawn reactions from conservative commentators on X.

“Anti-ICE leftists are now booking and canceling car reservations at Enterprise to protest them renting cars to ICE,” wrote Chaya Raichik, who operates the popular Libs of TikTik account on X, in a post with more than 208,000 views.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Business Insider in a statement that “dangerous” protest efforts had led to a rise in violence against ICE officers. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism,” she said.

Enterprise is the latest major corporation to face consumer pressure as immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota has drawn widespread protest.

Earlier this month, Hilton removed a franchisee from its portfolio after a video that purported to show a hotel employee refusing to provide immigration enforcement officers rooms.

In a statement, the hotel chain criticized the operator and said its corporate policy was to make all locations “a welcoming place for all” and that it does “not discriminate against any individuals or agencies.”

Minneapolis-based Target has also faced heat from activists who accused the retailer of cooperating with immigration officials. The retailer denied those claims an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.

“Target does not have cooperative agreements with any immigration enforcement agency,” human resources chief Melissa Kremer wrote to employees. “We’re listening and working to de-escalate where possible.”

Enterprise, which runs around two dozen locations in the Twin Cities, is still facing calls from Minnesota-based protestors.




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