Personally I think a couple more desirable bases would be more beneficial to the group as a whole. 50% of the air line commuting is absurd.

To OP, I'm not sure if you've made up your mind or not, but I hope some of these comments have been helpful. I was in your shoes two years ago and decided to continue commuting. The family being happy and safe around friends and our entire family while I'm gone at work means a lot to me. We bought a home in an incredible area before the price hikes as well and couldn't find anything remotely reasonable price-wise in bases we were considering. Our mortgage was only going to increase $1,000 so I can't even fathom increasing 3x like your situation. We're walking distance from 1st through 8th grade schools and 2 miles from the high school with lake access. We're only a few years in and already have made countless memories.

In my opinion, living in base is only a viable option in these situations if you choose to apply for other positions that pull you from the line and keep you home almost every night. Otherwise, I couldn't shake how selfish I was being with uprooting from a place we love just to be able to drive to work and still be gone half the month with my family alone and unhappy. A remedy to the situation has been bidding home layovers. If you can do this, you're essentially getting all the time lost due to commuting back and more.

Good luck with your decision and trust your gut. It's just a job and there's so much more to life to focus on and appreciate. Especially after 65 when this job is a distant memory and what's left is everything you've built and cherished along the way.