«Downtown Chicago» covers half a dozen submarkets that price very differently. Below is what each one asks in our listing of 630 offices across 81 business centres — the same data you can filter on the Chicago listings page.
Wacker Drive and the West Loop (60606, 60661)
The Wacker spine is the deepest pocket of supply we cover: 103 units, $1.45 to $6.50 per ft², typically $3.02, in towers such as 30 South Wacker, 200 South Wacker Drive, 110 North Wacker Drive, 125 South Wacker and 155 North Wacker Drive. Monthly rents there stretch from $121 for a single desk to $46,863 for a full floor. Cross the river to the Randolph Street blocks (60661) and the typical rate drops to $2.42 across 28 units — 564 West Randolph Street alone lists ten.
The Loop: Jackson, LaSalle, Monroe, Washington (60602–60604)
The historic financial core splits into three ZIPs. Around Jackson Boulevard and LaSalle (60604) we list 48 units at a typical $3.10, headed by the Chicago Board of Trade Building at 141 West Jackson Boulevard and 111 West Jackson. The Monroe–Dearborn blocks (60603) add 37 units at $2.90, including 55 East Monroe and 1 South Dearborn Street. The Washington–Madison stretch (60602) is the cheapest downtown pocket: 27 units, typically $2.42, at 22 West Washington and 70 West Madison.
New Eastside and Michigan Avenue (60601, 60611)
East of Michigan Avenue, 60601 carries 53 units and the lowest entry price in the city — from $1.16 per ft² at 180 N. Stetson Street, the Two Prudential Plaza tower. 205 North Michigan Avenue and 161 North Clark St. sit in the same cluster. North of the river, the Magnificent Mile and Streeterville (60611) hold 88 units at a typical $2.63, from the John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue to the Equitable Building at 401 North Michigan Avenue and One Magnificent Mile at 980 North Michigan Avenue.
River North and Fulton Market (60654, 60642, 60607)
River North's 63 units run $1.45 to $6.65 per ft², typically $3.10 — 320 West Ohio (the Adlake Building), 321 North Clark Street, 20 West Kinzie Street, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza. West of the expressway, the creative belt around Sangamon and Green (60607) lists 21 units at $2.84 typical, and the Halsted–Goose Island pocket (60642) another 37 at $2.60, including 1500 North Halsted Street.
South Loop (60605)
South Loop is the priciest per foot — 26 units at a typical $4.48, ranging $3.05 to $6.32 — because the stock is small, finished suites rather than raw floors. South Michigan Avenue 800 and the South Loop Roosevelt building at 1136 South Delano Court West are the two largest sets. Monthly asks start at $230. Every South Loop unit appears in the Chicago office listings with its floor and exact area.
How to choose
If per-foot cost decides it, look at 60661, 60602 and 60601. If you want a large contiguous floor, 60606 and 60611 hold the biggest plates. If you want to move in furnished this month, South Loop and River North carry the highest share of fitted suites.