It might just be subjective. There are countless things to see in the world and you can make a list of examples affirming whatever you want to (or dread to) believe.
For example, I live in the Bay Area and love it, have lived here seven years now. I had a friend live here for three years and tell me how terrible it was and listed off all the terrible things about it. The experience was subjective and I respect that; he found a way to have a more positive life by leaving and good for him.
Not all things are equal, especially our perceptions of the world.
These are not incompatible observations. The likely truth is that some things are getting better - but that should not mean that we need to tolerate other things getting worse. If housing is becoming less affordable then that is not mitigated by availability of shiny gadgets.