I'd also recommend Logan, Utah. City of about 50,000 people and metro of about 125,000. It's a smaller area than the busier SLC, Provo, and Ogden ones, and has more of a rural feel around it. Though the actual city of Logan is quite developed. Rent there can be very cheap. I had a 1 bedroom place of my own for $390 with everything included (including internet). It's also a college town and there's tons of apartments with shared rooms for probably about $200 - $250. The area also has a good amount of retail jobs (two Wal-marts for example). And for being tight on money, it also has a zero-fare bus system that anyone can use and there's bus stops everywhere. The area has the lowest unemployment rate in the state of Utah (which is already much lower than the national average). The downside is the smaller feel in my opinion, but I kind of like the city life, so that's just me. Though there's many events, especially with the large university there, an amazing canyon with close proximity to different lakes, rivers, and trails, and it's one of the safest metros (actually ranked THE safest metro a few times this decade).
I'm not trying to sound like an Ad for the city, I just think it really fit the things you mentioned (low rent and cost of living, retail jobs, recreation) Here's the wiki if you want to learn a little more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan,_Utah'
Oh and being a college town, it has a ton of single wards.
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