No, but I haven't lived in many cities on that list. No, it's not a perfect assessment but the assumption that "X city is top and anyone who disagrees clearly hasn't lived there" is a perfect example of the attitude I'm talking about originally.

I may not have lived there but I have spent a good deal of time in many cities. I have explored various neighborhoods in these cities (Chicago included), regularly use their public transit, looked at COL numbers and done apartment searching in them to see prices, etc.