For me, SF and NYC have a huge advantage over Chicago and that is mild winters. New York gets cold, but not that cold and you can wait inside for the subway.
I spent two years in Minneapolis insisting I could take it, but the simple fact is that long, bitterly cold winters mean you end up inactive, indoors, cooped up at home more often than not. At least I did. It felt like wasted time, and Chicago is only marginally better.
It would take more than affordable rent and good restaurants to lure me back to a place with so many sub-20F days.
I lived in Chicago for 6 years; being cooped up inside meant more time sipping hot beverages in front of my computer, which may be called sedentary but certainly not 'lost time' for a programmer.
I spent two years in Minneapolis insisting I could take it, but the simple fact is that long, bitterly cold winters mean you end up inactive, indoors, cooped up at home more often than not. At least I did. It felt like wasted time, and Chicago is only marginally better.
It would take more than affordable rent and good restaurants to lure me back to a place with so many sub-20F days.