Like most cities in the United States, a trip to Chicago can get pretty pricy. As someone who loves to travel, I understand the importance of budgeting and being transparent about costs. That’s why I wanted to share my experience with you and give you an honest account of what it really costs to visit The Windy City. While I may have splurged on a few things, there are many ways you can save money on your trip to Chicago!
If you’d like to jump to a particular section, feel free to use these anchors:
Flights
First things first, you gotta book a flight to get there! If there’s one thing I’ll always encourage my friends to do, it’s to get a travel credit card! I personally LOVE the Chase Sapphire Preferred! If you’re interested in signing up or checking out the card click here!
I flew a nonstop flight through United, which was perfect and only a four hour flight. The flight left around 6am and we were able to get to Chicago by lunchtime!
Although the flight should’ve been $400, I was able to book my round trip flight from Los Angeles to Chicago completely free through my points on the Chase portal!
*If you’d like a breakdown of my favorite credit cards that have helped me save money while traveling, leave me a comment or dm!
Lodging
When planning a trip, I always have a solid debate with a pros and cons list between staying in a hotel and an AirBnB. For this quick two-night trip, we decided to stay in an AirBnB because it ended up being cheaper for everything we wanted.
We booked a stay with Sonder and had an absolutely wonderful experience. Hoping to get a referral code soon, but I’ll update y’all on Instagram if/when I do!
Our stay was extremely clean, aesthetically furnished, and the customer support was impeccable. Sonder has a ton of locations and I highly recommend booking one of their stays for your trip!
For two nights and for my half of our stay, I paid $200.19 or about $100/night – keep in mind we could’ve found a cheaper stay if we wanted!
Transportation
Getting around Chicago is pretty simple with many affordable options such as the L train and buses, and rideshare services like Uber and Lyft widely available. Our stay was pretty central so we also walked a decent amount during the day. However, as two girls exploring the city, we often opted for Ubers to safely get to and from our destinations. Our trip to Chicago was also pretty short, so Ubers helped us explore most of the city quickly and more efficiently. I ended up spending $72.88 on rideshare services – a bulk of which were to get to and from the airport.
Food & Drinks
If you’re anything like my roommate and I, you’ll plan your entire trip around the restaurants you want to try. I’m very happy we did because the food scene here was great – that says a lot coming from an LA foodie.
Each restaurant was a great experience, but I will admit they were all on the pricier side. If you’re looking to save some money, there are plenty of cheaper options throughout the city that I’m sure are amazing as well!
All in all, I spent $286.03 total on food and drinks throughout the weekend (~3 days) – $197.31 on four upscale meals (check out my blog post about them here), $39.25 on two cocktails, $37.20 on casual snacks and lunch, and $27.27 on coffee.
Although not particularly cheap, I enjoyed indulging in some memorable food and drinks in Chicago!
If you’re curious about the restaurants I ate at during my trip, be sure to check out my Chicago restaurant post here!
Overview
- flights: $0 (would’ve been $400)
- lodging: $200.19
- transportation: $72.88
- food & drinks: $286.03
- total: $559.10 (would’ve been $959.10)
In conclusion, I spent a bit more than I wanted on this short trip to Chicago, but my credit card points really helped make it much more doable! Also, as I mentioned before, there were definitely many ways I could have made this trip cheaper (ie not as nice of an airbnb, eating at cheaper restaurants, and no shopping), but this was a trip well saved for!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram to vote for my next blog post! @JesssBookIt
If you’re thinking of booking a trip to Chicago anytime soon, JesssBookIt!
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