Best Budget Bike

a bike with a rack where you can carry a bag or panniers to carry whatever you need for work, a helmet and a basic tool and an extra tube to solve eventual punctures, and a pump of course. (Wider section and good quality tires will make punctures less likely but it doesn't hurt to be prepared), i personally like a mountain bike for commuting, because you can also use it during the weekend for recreational riding or whenever you do some off road - hill riding, city or urban bikes offer you limited confort and less capabilities for anything other than commuting, p.s. my main bike is a road bike,

While I do know what a compact crank is, I'm not familiar with a compact bike. There's a bunch of foldable bikes, but they're generally referred to as folders, understandably enough.

And there's certainly no general agreement on what constitutes as "budget" either. What I see as lavish spending, someone else will see as a sparse necessity.Or the other way around. You need to provide a number, then someone may be able to recommend something in the right ball park.

And "riding to work" doesn't really tell us anything. How far would be a lot more useful. Type of road? Do you intend shower & change at arrival. Etc etc. Do you need to carry anything?