yeah i don't think NYC people are gonna leave SF for NYC. those are two totally different cities with different experiences and different culture. you can live an urban lifestyle in all 50 states btw
Not everyone, not even a majority, but many people would trade their ideal urban lifestyle for a different urban lifestyle if it came at a significant housing price discount. We already see this across the country, even in non-urban preferences, where cheap housing in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida are attracting the most significant portions of migrations, not due to their superior lifestyle, but because housing, and consequently other things, are much more affordable