Budgeting Chicago

The primary goal of this budget was to determine if the Chicago GoCity or CityPass programs were worthwhile. In the end, we determined that they weren't. You would need to spend most of your time just doing the activities from the passes. I had some other things in mind, so we passed on the pass.

Another consideration was that we booked our stay at the Hyatt Regency using credit card points, so overall dollar costs are low. I would warn, though, that when you go on the site they list the prices as "from" a certain point amount. I ended up spending more than I originally thought due to this oversight, as the other nights were more than that one listed amount. You can easily avoid this by looking at the Hyatt points calendar to double check.

Don't be fooled by "rates from"

Click the points calendar for the actual breakdown of points night by night!

All costs listed below are per person. I am traveling with a partner, so some costs may be split.

Item	Price	Notes
Flights	$550
Chicago Architecture Cruise	$56	Wanted to hear from the Chicago Architecture Center guides
Art Institute of Chicago	$14
Baseball Game	$50
Skydeck Chicago	$41	Available on GoCity Pass
Frank Lloyd Wright House Tour	$24
Field Museum	$30	Available on GoCity Pass
Adler Planetarium	$25	Available on GoCity Pass
7-day transit pass	$20
Meals	$150
Shopping	$100
Flight and Hotel Fees	$30	Hotel purchased with credit card points
Total	$1,090	We probably will not make it to every attraction.