Commuting sucks. Period.

If you're going to commute, try and go somewhere that isn't an outstation base. Those will likely have early starts/late finishes so you're going to lose an extra day on each end to commuting. Regardless of where you are you're going to be on reserve so you'll probably need to get there the day before because that 4am start to reserve doesn't mesh well with flights. 11-12 days off will really be like 6 days off by the time you factor travel days into the equation.

Commuting is also more expensive. That money you'll save on cheap rent will quickly go to a crashpad. You're going to have to get there a day early so you'll have to eat out more. Unless you're in a city that has a good mass transit system (ORD or JFK) you'll likely need a crashpad car. If you're in one of those cities you still have to factor the cost of some sort of mass transit pass (I think it's like $80/month in Chitown). If you're close enough to drive you'll see mx on your vehicle go up as well.

What regional is a safe bet? None of them. Five to ten years ago everybody wanted to go to Comair and Eagle. Then it was Expressjet. When I was hired at RAH last year they were expecting to hire 1000. I just got my recall letter today and there are still about 100 behind me waiting for one.

So yeah, if you have a wife and kids that you like to spend time with you might want to consider moving them. If you don't feel like putting that stress on them maybe a corporate operation on your home field would be a better option. A few friends have gone that route and while they don't know when they'll be gone in advance, they are usually home more than I was/will be.