At 30 miles away, I'm about as close as I can afford...I live in Los Angeles, the 2nd most expensive city in the US. Unfortunately, it also has the worst traffic in the US, and a complete lack of public transportation. It can take an hour to drive 10 miles sometimes. That 30 mile commute at 7am takes around 45+ minutes, and at 4pm, 1.5+ hours.
If I were you, I'd get a motorcycle. Riding between lanes is legal in California; in traffic you would be cruising between still cars and thus saving precious time :)
