A resounding YES. I'm a straight single guy, in my early 30s. I just moved a couple months ago after living in SF for 10 years, but I regularly visited NYC for 4 weeks every year, so I had some idea of what I was getting into. Here's a few things to note:

- I still love SF, and I'd totally move back in the next 4-5 years if we see another tech boom, but it now looks like things are going very bust. Visit any other major US city, and not only NYC, but LA, Vegas, Austin, Miami, and New Orleans, and you'll realize that things simply aren't back to 2019 levels (fwiw, in my travels, Chicago was the only other city that felt as dreary as SF). Destigmatization of remote work and a tech downturn spell bad news for SF. I feel things are just going to get worse.

- I kept on making excuses to not leave SF. I had a cushy rent controlled apartment. I accumulated a bunch of stuff. I had an office in SF. I wanted to mentor some junior coworkers face to face. I'm involved in some local community theater and dance productions. I'm good friends with my neighbors, my barista, my barber, and my dentist. And it's my city. In reality, I felt a sense of relief when I gave my roommates notice. And then I flew to NYC, found a few luxury apartments I liked, and got a "luxury" studio in Chelsea. And then, when I got back, it took me about a week to get rid of most of my stuff, and a day to pack the rest into two check in bags, one carry on, and a backpack.

- I didn't realize how chronically depressed I was in SF until I moved. In SF, my social circle fizzed out. My social life was mostly interacting with coworkers (or the few of them who decided to come to the office), and monthly drinks with my dance and theater friends. I spent every weekend either reading a book at home, or on last minute trips to LA or Vegas.

- While I'd be lucky to have any sort of social obligation in SF on any given evening, in NYC, I'd be lucky not to. People live in uncomfortably cramped settings in NYC and they're looking for excuses to get out. Also, a lot of things like restaurant reservations and show tickets require advance planning, so you have to be good at managing your personal calendar. On any given weekend, I'd get texts from former coworkers, current coworkers, college buddies, and random people I met in classes to hang out. That's on top of a much more active dating life.

- As a straight guy, dating is way less stressful. Sure, it's still a numbers game, but it's nothing like the obsessive "spend an hour on Hinge a day if you want a date this week" I experienced in SF. Otoh, women in NYC are less likely to grasp what you do for a living. In SF, I dated women in sales or med school who were learning R and Python in their free time. That's not gonna happen in NYC.

- On the topic of cramped living accommodations, NYC is possibly the only city in the world (except for maybe Hong Kong and Tokyo) that exemplifies the "the city is your living room" concept. Pick a studio based on location - ideally Manhattan below 23rd and uptown of FiDi, and make sure it's big enough to entertain yourself and another person for a few hours, and no bigger. Don't even think about WFH. Go to your office if you have one. My employer gives me a WeWork stipend, which is nice, but I also occasionally work from coffee shops and hotel room lobbies.

- Summers here do suck, ngl. Even venturing out for a few minutes can feel like a chore. People complain about the winters, but I've been here during Jan/Feb and I find it tolerable - and also a nice opportunity to up your dressing game. I miss having in-unit laundry - laundromats are a time sink and even hauling all my laundry to and back from a wash and fold is a slog. I also miss having a fully stocked and spacious kitchen, and having access to a grocery store with sane lines. You have to get used to eating out. Other than that, there isn't much I miss.

- Try moving in winter. The rental market usually cools down by then, and there's also some evidence that inflation more broadly will too.