Houston, we don't have a problem: Texas town tops new list of best places to live, work and play

Another day, another best places to live list.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance looked at cities with strong job markets, cultural offerings and a reasonable cost of living. Some interesting cities that made the list are Omaha, Boise and Colorado Springs, but Houston topped the list. Coming in at number two was Raleigh, which you see a lot of prognosticators talking about since North Carolina has been a really hot state for real estate for the past decade or longer.

Some friends of mine just moved to Houston, and one of the things they mentioned is the property taxes are much higher than they are used to. So while the cost of living may seem relatively low, those high property taxes are probably going to keep prices depressed. Also, with gas prices as high as they are, a city with little or no public transportation is probably less attractive than a city like Boston where you don't necessarily need a car.