The Disney property is HUGE. The OP mentions walking to the monorail and the only hotels that is practical to do is the Grand Floridian, Polynesian/Shades of Green & Contemporary which are typically the most expensive places at Disney. Also need to think about which park(s) you intend to visit since no one hotel is closest to every park.
Disney is a relatively expensive place to vacation (i.e. park tickets/food) even if you stay at some offsite hotel.
Disney is a relatively expensive place to vacation (i.e. park tickets/food) even if you stay at some offsite hotel.