by Melinda Fulmer (from the MSN Real Estate web site)

If you're looking for areas with a low cost of living, good job prospects and a high quality of life, here are 10 best bets to research.

Cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles might be great places to jump-start your career, but their high cost of living can break the bank for many grads and young families.

Some of the best places to live and work may be smaller so-called flyover cities such as Fayetteville, Ark., Blacksburg, Va., or Logan, Utah, according to Bert Sperling of Sperling's Best Places.

He has put together a list of the top 10 affordable job powerhouses for MSN Real Estate: places where the cost of living and unemployment are low and the number of jobs is growing steadily.

Here, Sperling says, residents enjoy a good quality of life, including a high level of home ownership, without having to make a fat salary.

These aren't boomtowns, Sperling cautions, but that's a good thing, as boomtowns often lead to real estate hangovers and strained city resources and infrastructure. "These are places where people have an opportunity to grow with the town," he says.

Many of them are college towns, providing access to cultural and sporting events that are rare in other burgs their size. Others are framed by national parks, lakes, rivers and other breathtaking natural scenery, an added plus for outdoor enthusiasts.

The drawback for most is their isolation, with trips to the nearest big city for shopping or entertainment taking more than an hour or two. And some have harsh winters, making them a hard sell for those who don't want to wear a parka in April.

But for those looking to save for a house or start a family, they might be ideal. Here are the 10 areas that made the cut for best affordable places to live and work.

1. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.
2. Idaho Falls, Idaho
3. Logan, Utah
4. Auburn-Opelika, Ala.
5. Iowa City, Iowa
6. Dubuque, Iowa
7. Pensacola, Ferry Pass and Brent, Fla.
8. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford, Va.

This tri-city area, located in a cluster of small towns, is best known as the home of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (better known as Virginia Tech).

Blacksburg is the largest of the three communities and combines a small-town feel and college amenities with a beautiful setting in the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains. A pleasant climate and proximity to nearby Roanoke, with its excellent arts, commerce and health care, are perks. The wooded area lacks some big-city hustle and amenities, and is isolated from air service. But it has a low cost of living, with a median home price of only $197,800 and great outdoor recreation opportunities to boot.

One resident on Sperling's web site calls it "New Englandesque" without the harsh winters and praised its great golf courses and nearby wineries. However, Sperling says, some might find the Virginia Tech presence a bit overwhelming.

Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford, VA		U.S. average
Area population	151,890	647,500
Median home price	$197,800.00	$235,000.00
Cost-of-living index	90.00	100.00
Unemployment rate	3.4%	4.6%
Job growth - 5 years	10.43%	4.90%
Job growth - 1 year	4.89%	1.66%
Median household income	$37,174.00	$46,326.00

9. Huntsville, Ala.
10. Fargo, N.D.