Planning
Money and costs in Chicago
Chicago is a major US city with big-city prices, but it is generally more affordable than New York or San Francisco, and a lot of the best things — the lakefront, the parks, and several free museums and attractions — cost nothing. Budget for high sales and hotel taxes, standard US tipping, and the fact that transit is cheap while downtown parking and rideshare are not.
Taxes and tipping
Chicago layers state, county, city, and transit sales taxes into one of the highest combined rates of any major US city, so the shelf or menu price is not the final total. Hotels add more on top: the city levies its own 4.5 percent hotel accommodations tax, plus — since May 2026 — a 1.5 percent Tourism Improvement District charge at hotels of 100 rooms or more in the central ZIP codes, all before state and county hotel taxes. Restaurant checks carry a citywide 0.50 percent restaurant tax, and eating places downtown and near the airports add a further 1 percent MPEA food-and-beverage tax.
Tipping is customary and expected: around 18 to 20 percent at sit-down restaurants and bars, a dollar or two per drink at a bar, and a few dollars a day for hotel housekeeping. Many card readers suggest tip amounts at checkout.
What costs money and what is free
Transit is a bargain: a CTA train ride paid from Ventra value or by contactless card costs $2.50, with up to two free transfers within two hours, except for the $5 O'Hare departure fare. A 1-Day pass is $5. Downtown garage parking is expensive, and rideshare trips carry city charges that vary by ride type, time and location. The biggest variable is lodging: rates swing sharply with the season and the convention and festival calendar.
A lot of Chicago is free. The lakefront and its beaches, the Riverwalk, Millennium Park and Cloud Gate, the Chicago Cultural Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, and neighborhood parks cost nothing to enter. Swimming has its own seasonal restrictions, and paid parking, rides or special events are separate. Several major museums set aside free days for Illinois residents; the Field currently lists free general admission on Wednesdays through December 30, 2026. Multi-attraction passes like CityPASS can save money if their included sights match your plans, but check required reservations and compare against any free-admission eligibility.
Sources
Reviewed source trail
- City of Chicago — Hotel Accommodations Tax and Tourism Improvement District — checked 2026-09-12
- City of Chicago — Restaurant Tax — checked 2026-09-12
- Illinois Department of Revenue — MPEA Food and Beverage Tax — checked 2026-09-12
- City of Chicago — Ground Transportation Tax (rideshare fees) — checked 2026-09-12
- Chicago Transit Authority — fare chart — checked 2026-09-12
- Choose Chicago — free things to do — checked 2026-09-12
- Field Museum — Illinois Free Wednesdays — checked 2026-09-12
- Lincoln Park Zoo — plan your visit (free admission) — checked 2026-09-12
- City of Chicago — Chicago Cultural Center (free admission) — checked 2026-09-12
- CityPASS — Chicago — checked 2026-09-12