DTW is easier than MEM and the comment about MEM flight times is dead on. However, the cost of living is lowest in Memphis. Your commute may be worse, but you can live better and closer to the airport in Memphis (Germantown, Southaven, and Olive Branch are good choices). Detroit is cheaper than Minneapolis as well, but you would probably want to live well outside the city near Toledo or Ann Arbor to avoid getting shot. I commuted out of MEM for two months and was hardly ever able to commute and work on the same day (now I'm based in MEM and only commute 8 miles). I typically got bumped off of at least one or two flights per trip for NWA pilots. FedEx is a great way to commute to and from MEM, but make sure you know your commuter policies. If you have some kind of call in honest policy, even though FedEx is a positive space jumpseat, if that flight cancels and you don't have another way to get there, you'll be hit with a "no show". If your policy is similar to ours (Mesaba), you have to be listed on NWA, Pinnacle, Compass, or Mesaba flights in order to call in honest. You can use the crew bus in Memphis to get to FedEx, but the only way at DTW is by taxi, which costs $17 if my memory is correct. I was never able to find a shuttle there.

BTW, if you're considering Memphis for Beale St, just move to New Orleans and frequent the French Quarter and Bourbon Street (commute through Houston or Atlanta from there on NWA). Beale isn't all that great by comparison.