I live in the S26 area of Sheffield because that's where DH is from and his family still is. We live in the neighbouring village to my in-laws. The schools here are also really good, so that was a contributing factor to remaining where we are and looking to move within our area. There are 2 train stations within our village.
I don't live on a main road, so I'm not often aware of the busses in our village and their times.
The train to Sheffield runs pretty consistently until about 11pm Mon-Sat and reduced schedule on Sundays and Bank Holidays, but this is about the same for the Supertram too (except it runs every 10 minutes, every 20 minutes on Sundays and Bank Holidays - often stopping early). If DH & I would go out drinking for the evening we used to get a Taxi home with friends or have a friend by DD for the night, which would cost about £20, which we would all split the cost of from central Sheffs to our village.
If you are going to be reliant on public transport busses can be a bit tricky as the routes have been split and some bypass entire villages (ie. Stagecoach has stops in my in-laws village, but will not stop anywhere in ours) as you leave central Sheffield.
You may need to take 2 (or more) separate companies busses (sometimes needing to paying double fare; some have a reduced fare if you show a valid ticket for another company's bus...) to reach your destination. However, that shouldn't really be an issue if you're staying within central Sheffield.
ETA: Checked the local paper today and they have a listing for a 2 bed mid-terraced house (with garden) for rent at £90 per week and a Studio Flat / Apartment for £95 per week in my village. Utilities and Council Tax are extra, but that's to give you an idea of cost (and they're literally 2 minutes walk from one of the train station's in our village and not too bad a neighbourhood). If you want more details PM me - no I don't get any commission.
