Yup, cheap, small towns are very far away from large centers. That being said, people still have happy lives in them and you have much better access to all sorts of mustachian things (local farms, hunting areas, fishing opportunities, your own garden, Endless nature).
I definitely do not advise buying in a really inexpensive place in order to commute a long distance to another, but if you can get the employment situation figured out, there really is a lot of opportunity. I've lived in Northern BC my entire life and loved it. Others may not, and fair enough. But I could sell my current home for $1, (taking a loss for the entire value) and buy a beautifully renovated character 3 bdrm 1 and 1/2 bath home in the best neighbourhood in my town for $275,000 and still have less (around $375,000) in capital sunk into my housing costs than people spend on "starter" detached homes in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, etc. Or even that of MMM. So, if you're not to tied to your current location and/or employment, I really recommend people look into smaller towns.