Found this very interesting, just came out:
http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/library/2014/05/regulatory-climate-index-2014-section-i
Talks about several points (# procedures, # days, cost):
Starting A Business
Dealing with Construction Permits
Registering a Property
Paying Taxes
Enforcing Contracts
Ranked 10 cities (really just examined 10 randoms):
Here's how the 10 cities ranked on their business regulatory environments:
Dallas
St. Louis
Raleigh
Boston
Atlanta
Detroit
Chicago
Los Angeles
San Francisco
New York City
It's interesting that this report is peppered with phrases like "Evidence shows" and "Evidence overwhelmingly shows" but we aren't given any references on where this alleged evidence comes from. One suspects if such evidence actually exists, it's derived from other US Chamber of Commerce studies, which of course calls into question their objectivity.