Personally, I've always liked the idea of minimising the commute time. The longest I've had was 45 minutes + waiting time. That was ok - I was close to the train at both ends and it gave me reading time. The shortest is now (10 steps from back door to shed/office at home). I would find it really hard going back to a 45 minutes each way every day commute.
Does the monthly rental difference mean much to you, given that the extra commute is also going to eat into the cash?
This really is a pretty personal decision, though. How much is the better/funkier outlook worth to you
