1x drivetrains work fine, I wouldn't worry about anything you're mentioning. They somewhat obviously can't offer as close gearing with the same number of cogs as a 2x or 3x setup, but honestly in city traffic (or mountain biking, for that matter) you hardly ever settle into a consistent speed long enough for that to bother most people--long road/gravel rides are different issue and I'd personally find it slightly annoying in those applications. If the noise isn't bothering you it's probably not indicative of anything that will lead to more frequent service or shorter service life. You may or may not have a quieter chain if you match a Shimano chain to your Shimano drivetrain--KMC mostly works great, but can sometimes be a little noisier.