Oak Park, IL

Oak Park has the world's largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, Hemingway's birthplace, and a century-old identity as the progressive, integrated suburb that chose that path on purpose in the 1960s and made it work. Its downtown and the Arts District give it real walkable retail, and the housing stock is a architecture tour you can live in.

The Green and Blue lines both terminate here and Metra's UP West line stops downtown, which means three separate rail routes to the Loop in about 25 minutes. One-car households are common, car-free ones possible near the stations. The catch, as everywhere in the inner ring: property taxes that will feature prominently in your true cost. For many families the transit savings cover a surprising share of it.

Oak Park offers moderate transit access: a single car per household is usually sufficient. One car typically covers the gap that transit leaves.

At roughly $12,000/year for 1 car, transportation is a moderate line item in Oak Park's true cost. Combined with a 25-minute commute valued at $5,208/year, the true cost of suburban living in Oak Park can significantly exceed what the rent or mortgage alone suggests.