It got worse after our move. People with stable jobs and money in the bank had nowhere to go. Homelessness has exploded in this region.
Tougher still is the insurance crisis playing out. Biz and homes that are financed are finding the mandatory insurance is skyrocketing. Their monthly payment has recently doubled or tripled and the rate of increase has yet to slow.
I couldn't even find prices for the south side (I checked Auburn and Grand Crossing) or west side (I checked North Lawndale and Austin). Nobody's suggesting you can get a nice 2bdr in Chicago for $450/mo, which I assume you could in Belmont Cragin.
The east coast of SF is an outlier; it has long been the least affordable region in the state; I could see where Chicago sized dollars might work there. For the folks working typical jobs, it's a place to leave.
2800 for a 2br. Ouch. Until recently, that would have been 600-1200 for most of the state - an amount people working typical jobs could afford to pay.
At least those are reasons I think people are moving there. It's not for me personally.
The one positive thing might be that FL never did mandatory vehicle inspections (individual owned). The results are fairly strong evidence that municipalities could end those without meaningful risk to the public.