How does this sound?
House: 6 beds, 3 bathrooms, 4052 square feet.
Price: $87,500.
Sounds like an ad out of the 1940's or something but in fact such a house is currently for sale - in Waterbury Ct., which has a burgeoning frum population.
So sweet friends - there is a price to be paid for living out of town but that price is not in dollars but in convenience etc. etc. When it comes to dollars and cents alone it is a no-brainer - out of town is the place to go. [Of course, Eretz Yisrael is THE place to go but it is not practical for everyone and that is not the topic of this post].
Consider living out of town and take the pressure off yourself to make heavy duty six figures plus.