Read your post, what you described almost sums up Norfolk. For me 495 is 10-18 minutes depending which exit I aim for. But maybe you find somewhere closer than that. The commuter rail that goes into back bay and south station is in the center of town 3 minutes from me.

While Norfolk itself doesn’t have a ton outside of a few pubs, it is central to a handful of towns in every direction that has pretty much everything. And for this reason is why it’s going to be a bit cheaper than some of the other towns.

Also if possible try to find a house with a nice south facing roof. Electricity is .41 kWh now, with my solar in locked in at .14 kWh