Are the areas with the cheap houses walkable destinations in their own right or mainly residential communities with a subway stop that can get you to the action

Are the areas with the cheap houses walkable destinations in their own right or mainly residential communities with a subway stop that can get you to the action? Chicago was the example that most came to mind as something with cheaper houses and transit, but without knowing it very well my sense from talking to people is that there is a lot of cheap housing in Chicago but living in the urban core isn't necessarily cheap.