There are several neighborhoods in Chicago with almost all the amenities of NYC/SF, low crime, but much lower cost of living. Although housing costs in those neighborhoods have gone up quite a bit as more and more remote workers figure this out.
(yes, it gets cold sometimes, but you can always take some of that money you saved by moving and get on a plane somewhere warm)
It seems impossible that people don't even have to lock their bikes in a lot of Asian cities coming from the states.