Disclaimer: I live in SF, not NYC, but I disagree with your post.
> "$2000 apartment which is an insane amount to pay for housing."
SF is at the same level now. A solid 1BR in the city proper (as opposed to say, out in Outer Richmond) will easily hit $2000. And beyond. New construction (SOMA) would be closer to $3-4K. This is in the same range as what both dev_jim and cletus claim.
> "BART stations are much cleaner than NYC subway stations, I find the trips much more pleasant."
Being someone who commutes on BART daily, no, they're really not. MTA stations are older and slightly more run-down looking, but cleanliness-wise, they're about the same. The interesting thing is that MTA subway trains are considerably cleaner than any BART train.
Hell, if we're going to talk about general city cleanliness - just about any sidewalk in Manhattan is much, much cleaner than any sidewalk in SF. I don't know about you, but I've never had to dodge human excrement in NYC, whereas it seems to be a semi-frequent occurrence here in the City.
> "Eating fast food <$7 will quickly make you feel pretty unhealthy in NY. All that greasy pizza and chinese food."
As opposed to greasy Chinese food in the Sunset? Burritos in the Mission? The food scene between the two cities are not too different - both NYC and SF have a lot of cheap, good-for-you food if you know where to find it. Both cities also have a whole lot of greasy stuff-that-will-kill-you food that's just as easily accessible. If you think eating cheaply in NYC necessitates pizza and Chinese takeout, you're sorely mistaken, just as you would be mistaken if you thinking burritos are a necessary food in SF.
> "The fact is that if you work late into the night, the cars come less frequently"
This is true in SF also. Live in Oakland and work in the city? Welp, you're fucked, frequently. BART also shuts down at midnight, which puts you in a SOL position a lot more often than it would be in NYC. I've talked to numerous cabbies/Uber drivers who laugh at the idea of doing an East Bay run on a busy night. You can't even find a cab to drive you across the bridge at exorbitant rates! :P
> "Don't forget that, during rush hour, you stand in a sardine can with a hundred other people."
Hop on a BART car at rush hour. Or worse, hop on a MUNI train at rush hour in one of the downtown stations - I've been on a NY subway car during rush, it's actually marginally emptier than, say, the N-Judah at rush.
> "$1000/mo one-bedrooms"
Have you looked at SF housing prices lately? You can't even find a studio in the Tenderloin for $1K.
I've lived in SF and Tokyo and spent time in NYC. @potatolicious is spot on with this post. NYC streets and subway cars are, generally, cleaner than the equivalent in SF. Crime's lower (per capita, not totals) in NYC than SF too. You also don't witness as much derelicts and gang bangers on an evening stroll down a NYC street as you do in SF.
@cletus was right about the job scene though. Most tech companies HQ are in SF and there's a wealth of jobs. NYC's tech scene is still up and coming. As we've seen with Austin , Seattle, and NC/Research Triangle, "up and coming" can last for a long, long time.
> "$2000 apartment which is an insane amount to pay for housing."
SF is at the same level now. A solid 1BR in the city proper (as opposed to say, out in Outer Richmond) will easily hit $2000. And beyond. New construction (SOMA) would be closer to $3-4K. This is in the same range as what both dev_jim and cletus claim.
> "BART stations are much cleaner than NYC subway stations, I find the trips much more pleasant."
Being someone who commutes on BART daily, no, they're really not. MTA stations are older and slightly more run-down looking, but cleanliness-wise, they're about the same. The interesting thing is that MTA subway trains are considerably cleaner than any BART train.
Hell, if we're going to talk about general city cleanliness - just about any sidewalk in Manhattan is much, much cleaner than any sidewalk in SF. I don't know about you, but I've never had to dodge human excrement in NYC, whereas it seems to be a semi-frequent occurrence here in the City.
> "Eating fast food <$7 will quickly make you feel pretty unhealthy in NY. All that greasy pizza and chinese food."
As opposed to greasy Chinese food in the Sunset? Burritos in the Mission? The food scene between the two cities are not too different - both NYC and SF have a lot of cheap, good-for-you food if you know where to find it. Both cities also have a whole lot of greasy stuff-that-will-kill-you food that's just as easily accessible. If you think eating cheaply in NYC necessitates pizza and Chinese takeout, you're sorely mistaken, just as you would be mistaken if you thinking burritos are a necessary food in SF.
> "The fact is that if you work late into the night, the cars come less frequently"
This is true in SF also. Live in Oakland and work in the city? Welp, you're fucked, frequently. BART also shuts down at midnight, which puts you in a SOL position a lot more often than it would be in NYC. I've talked to numerous cabbies/Uber drivers who laugh at the idea of doing an East Bay run on a busy night. You can't even find a cab to drive you across the bridge at exorbitant rates! :P
> "Don't forget that, during rush hour, you stand in a sardine can with a hundred other people."
Hop on a BART car at rush hour. Or worse, hop on a MUNI train at rush hour in one of the downtown stations - I've been on a NY subway car during rush, it's actually marginally emptier than, say, the N-Judah at rush.
> "$1000/mo one-bedrooms"
Have you looked at SF housing prices lately? You can't even find a studio in the Tenderloin for $1K.