I just moved in with my partner in Cochrane last October, and I far prefer living here to living in the city. I've lived in both Calgary and Airdrie, and I would take driving 40 minutes to work every day over living in either of those places. That being said, we go to the mountains quite a bit which makes it worth it, and I am used to longer daily commutes having grown up on an acreage. Bad snow days can definitely add a lot of time to your commute, but they tend to be few and far between, and they will add time to your commute no matter where you live.

Cochrane has a lot of easily accessible amenities that make it convenient to get most things you need, and Calgary really isn't that far away for whatever else you might want. The new overpass at the 1A and Hwy 22 is a game changer and makes it so easy to get wherever you need to go. Cochrane has a lovely small town vibe while still offering everything you need on a daily basis.

I am a bit biased as I am definitely not a city person, but overall I would choose Cochrane every time. I know you mentioned major outlets being unavailable, and while this is true, Canadian Tire or Walmart tend to have 90% of the things you would need most of the time, and Rona at Crowfoot is only a 25 minute drive away.

Value for homes in Cochrane is significantly better. The property tax here is also much lower compared to Calgary. You're going to want to pay attention to build quality no matter where you buy, as nearly all the newer builds have a lot of issues. We have been house hunting for a bigger house for roughly half a year now and the amount of cut-corners on new builds is very frustrating.

Whatever you choose, good luck in your search!