If you demand walkable, then yes, you are up a creek. The only way to get purely walkable, with your grocer, theater, and night club all within a fifteen minute stroll, is high-density which generally happens in the heart of large cities, and is indeed expensive.
But how about bicycle-able? My town is about 5 miles square, very bike-able, and I was able to buy a townhouse at twenty-five.
Lots of newer suburbs are being designed with high walkability in mind.
My newish suburb is walkable to a movie theater, bike store, huge gym, swimming pools, Tae Kwon Do school, a couple hair salons and a barber, a full grocery, a couple clothing stores, about a dozen restaurants from fast food to high-end dining, a UPS store, an optometrist, a toy store, a ballet school, two coffee shops, a dry cleaners, a bank, a liquor store, weekly farmer's market about 3 or 4 miles of landscaped parks, about 20 miles of trail and just on the edge of walkability is a full 18 hole pro-level golf course.
They're planning on adding more stuff to it as well including a full county library and some other odds and ends.
There's a nicer development similar to mine about a 15 minute drive that offers a similar environment.
My friends live in an older neighborhood that's also just a 5 minute walk from a lively older "main street" style commercial area and likewise get all their shopping and such done that way. They live in a brand new house, but the town is a couple hundred years old and historic.
You have to hunt around for them a little, but they're definitely out there.
But how about bicycle-able? My town is about 5 miles square, very bike-able, and I was able to buy a townhouse at twenty-five.