Schaumburg, IL

Union Pacific Northwest

65 min to the Loop

42

Walk Score

28

Transit Score

2

Cars needed

65m

Commute to Loop

Estimated annual true-cost factors

Based on an example $2,500/month housing cost, 2 cars needed, and a 65-minute commute to the Loop via Union Pacific Northwest.

Annual housing (example $2,500/mo)$30,000
Annual transportation$24,000
Annual commute time value$13,542
Subtotal, excl. property tax$67,542
Housing 44%Transportation 36%Commute time 20%

Property tax varies by address. Use the calculator for a precise estimate including your local rate.

About Schaumburg

Schaumburg is the capital of Chicago's edge-city era: Woodfield Mall, one of the largest in America, a vast office and retail economy of its own, and housing that spans apartment complexes to executive subdivisions. It's less a bedroom suburb than a full second downtown that happens to be horizontal.

It is also the most car-dependent entry on most Chicago-area lists: a Transit Score in the 20s, a Metra station (UP Northwest) at its edge, and a street grid designed exclusively for driving. Two cars is not optional here. Schaumburg suits households whose jobs are in the northwest corridor itself, where the commute is a short drive and the suburb's own economy does the work downtown would.

Schaumburg offers limited transit access: most households rely on personal vehicles. Most households here need two cars, which adds substantially to annual costs.

At roughly $24,000/year for 2 cars, transportation is a major line item in Schaumburg's true cost. Combined with a 65-minute commute valued at $13,542/year, the true cost of suburban living in Schaumburg can significantly exceed what the rent or mortgage alone suggests.

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