What do you consider affordable and what’s a reasonable commuting distance. Considering people commute here from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, there is a lot of room for various parameters. The further out you go, the less expensive it is. The trade off is a longer commute with some pretty hellish traffic. MD, has MARC rail heading into Union Station where you can pick up Metro. VA has VRE that does the same. Stations can be found pretty far out. Certain areas are known for high crime. I think it’s Prince George’s county in MD. Parts of Chantilly and Woodbridge in VA. Ashburn and Leesburg have some nice, fairly reasonably priced areas. Gainesville is much more affordable but the commute is a hassle. If you give a better idea of what ranges you’re looking for, I can narrow some things down for you.