How should a new graduate balance commute time against neighborhood lifestyle?

Quick answer

Grant uses roughly 30 minutes as a normal planning benchmark, not a hard ceiling. The correct tradeoff depends heavily on office frequency. One or two office days per week usually lets lifestyle lead. Three days is a judgment call. Four or five days means commute deserves much more weight. A recent graduate is choosing where they will spend evenings and weekends as well as how they get to work, so a somewhat longer commute can be worthwhile when it buys a much stronger peer environment and social life. The decision should be intentional rather than based on the assumption that the shortest drive is automatically best.

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