The whole "commuting because I can't afford to live near my base" meme is utter bollocks. Shaw, the F/O on CO 3407, lived in "low cost" Seattle. WTF? The issue is this generation wants to have everything but a professional reputation. Commuting is for losers. Eastern had a load of commuters, one from OZ in the NYC base. All of them were divorced multiple times, constantly complaining about commuting, late, sleeping during connections. It was absurd.
The answer: prove you live full-time within 2 hours ground transportation of the base. Don't want to live in NYC, get a job where you do want to live.
GF