Malden, MA (Boston)?

Malden is still okay, but sliding down a bit. Crime stats are trending up over the last couple of decades. Shopping okay. Transportation access is very good. Overnight parking can be tough, especially in winter.

Consider Medford and Stoneham. Both in the same area, somewhat nicer, and would cut your long commute a bit.

Even though you would be going against the main traffic, the commute would not always be easy. The 128/93 cloverleaf can produce some nasty backups.

So think about communities north of route 128 like Wilmington and Billerica. Both are decent suburbs and fairly affordable. Both have stations on the Lowell Line of the commuter rail so you can get to Boston without driving if you want.

I wouldn't commute from Malden to Tyngsborough. Although you would be doing the reverse commute you will still hit pockets of heavy traffic.

I'd suggest living closer to Tyngsborough at least initially. Once you get the lay of the land you can move to a place more suited to what you want. Parts of Lowell can be a little dicey, but generally speaking all the towns up in that area are perfectly safe and will be much cheaper than living closer to Boston.

It's okay. I wouldn't want to hang my hat there for the rest of my life, but it would be okay for a temporary living situation.

it's ok, not great

look at Waltham, Somerville, Arlington and Medford instead

Somerville is a lot better than Malden because its closer to transit and has more of it to get you where you need to go. I grew up here in Somerville.