The honest range
Most Chicago local SEO work sits between roughly $800 and $3,500 a month. Under that you are usually buying reporting rather than work. Above it you are usually paying for a bigger footprint — multiple locations, many service pages, or a competitive commercial niche.
What pushes it up
More services to rank for. More areas to cover. A competitive category where everyone is already doing it well. A site that needs rebuilding before SEO can work at all. Commercial and B2B categories cost more than residential because the jobs are worth more and the competition knows it.
What pushes it down
A profitable niche nobody else is bothering with. An existing site that is technically sound. A single location. A business already collecting reviews consistently.
Why $299 a month does not work
Local SEO is labour. Service pages, listing management, review systems, content, cleanup. At $299 a month there is no labour in the budget — you are buying an automated report and a directory submission. If you are quoted that, ask exactly how many hours a month you are getting.
What you should expect for the money
A named person who knows your business. Work you can see in Google Search Console. Monthly numbers that tie to enquiries, not just rankings. And no lock-in longer than you are comfortable with.
This is what we do for clients as part of SEO agency in Chicago. If you would rather it was handled, tell us what you are trying to grow.