To me, it's the opposite. I cross the road to work, go home for lunch breaks, can work extra if I want to and am a stone's throw away from anything I can think of. My front yard is the parks scattered around the city and I get to jog anytime I want because its very unlikely to get stabbed in the major streets that doesn't sleep. We got police patrolling regularly and the council cleans the streets everyday. I don't have to worry about traffic because I tram anywhere that's too far to walk to (for free) within the city. If I want a holiday, I got an array of rental cars to choose from, even car share company are scattered throughout the city. I save a lot of money & time in this setup and the only sacrifice I can think of is the strata lifestyle and smaller floor space. CG is stagnant but this is my long term PPOR anyway.
In summary, my lifestyle has improved a lot when I moved to the city. But then again, it's a case to case basis. It all depends on the individual's preference and goal in life.