Just my opinion:

Commuting to be a senior lineholder: tolerable.

Living in-base: obviously preferable from the standpoint of getting to and from work. But it might NOT be as preferable from a cost of living viewpoint, uprooting from current home, distance from family and friends, aircraft/routes/seats and seniority aspect, or maybe...just not a place you want to live.

Communting to reserve: miserable; tolerable only if you are certain it is short duration and will lead to being a lineholder.

Living in-base: the history of the industry is rife with stories of bases that closed. In my time at United, we lost HNL, ANC, SEA, and MIA...all desirable for many pilots. On the maintenance side, we lost OAK, they talked of closing SFO mx, and a brand new facility at Indianapolis. Then, there is always the spectre of economic downturns, displacements, and being forced into commuting....because it’s either that, or leave.

As a newbie, I always thought I would end up living in-base. Instead, 9-11 meant “batten down the hatches.” As I approach the last chapters of my career, with the perspective of two decades of hindsight, I realize the wisdom of a Captain when I was a new-hire. In essence, his advice was “nothing lasts forever.” In other words, stability is always in question.

And that’s why I live where the wife wants, and I commute to what I can tolerate.