I ride a Kona Dew, and I love it. It's my commuter bike, but my commute (when I'm working) is only 4 miles round trip. That might grow to 9 miles.

Paid about $400 for my Dew, plus all the extras (lights, fenders, rack, etc.) It frequently shows up here on lists of good commuter bikes.

$400-$500 hybrids make very good commuters. If I had to do a 32-34 mile round trip commute, I'd still ride my Dew. I wouldn't need another bike for a longer ride.

I had at times wondered whether I should have gotten a higher end Kona commuter bike with disc brakes, but I've ridden plenty in the rain and V-brakes do just fine for me.