Chicago’s best Loop / New East Side apartments – affordability

Chicago’s Loop includes the area known as the New East Side, which in turn includes the Lakeshore East development. You’ll find all of your major apartment options in the Loop and New East Side on our at-a-glance list of downtown apartments.

Our goal is to help you find the apartment that best fits your needs. Renters simply have so many differing priorities – and budget constraints – that singling out an overall best building would be a pointless exercise. We’ll identify the Loop / New East Side buildings that rank highest on each of eighteen different criteria in three main groups:

Location. Views; Grocery shopping convenience; Public transit access; Close to parks, beaches; Proximity to the expressway grid; Walking distance to Loop; Most dining, nightlife nearby; retail shopping

Building features. Affordability; Amenities package; Boutique ambiance; Pet-friendliness

Apartment features. Apartment finishes; Private outdoor space; Studio / convertible floor plan; One-bedroom floor plan; Two-bedroom floor plan; Three-bedroom floor plan

The topic that’s top-of-mind with many renters is affordability. Great views and public transit access don’t much matter if you can’t afford to live in the building that has those features.

Two buildings converted from offices to apartments are among the most affordable in the area, in part due to limited building amenities: the Fisher Building and MDA City Apartments.

The AFL – CIO Housing Investment Trust (PDF) participated in the financing of Randolph Tower, and 20% of the building’s units are available to low-income tenants. To qualify for the affordable units, which rent for as little as $675 a month, a renter’s income must be at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. There’s currently a waiting list for these units.

Chime in with a comment if you disagree with our selections.

You’ll find links to our objective, visually-rich apartment reviews of Loop / New East Side buildings, and links to near real-time availability checks for most of the buildings, at our downtown apartments at-a-glance list, and some tips and advice at our Guide to renting in Chicago’s Loop / New East Side.

We’ve also spotlighted the best apartments in River North, Streeterville, the South Loop and the West Loop / Near West neighborhoods.

Next topic: Building amenities.

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