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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in New Hampshire — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. It lines up with what you'd expect. Manchester (index 115, rent $1,976/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 1 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 20…
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 115 | $1,976 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Manchester — cost index 115, rent $1,976/mo, income $77,415
0 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Nobody expects rock-bottom prices in New Hampshire — but that doesn't mean all cities are equally expensive. It lines up with what you'd expect. Manchester (index 115, rent $1,976/mo) carves out real savings within a high-cost market. We analyzed 1 cities to find where your money goes furthest in 2026 (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Manchester: $1,976/mo (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
What does daily life actually cost in Manchester? Start with the 31% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. On the category level, Healthcare (index 103) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 115) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Fairly typical for a city this size. Income at $77,415 — and that's before you even look at taxes — and homes at $427,321 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Real talk: it checks most boxes — but the housing costs are the asterisk. In Manchester, the housing index sits at 115 — above average and worth factoring in. Worth a deeper look.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours (though the trend is moving in the right direction).
115,474 residents · New Hampshire
What does daily life actually cost in Manchester? Start with the 31% rent-to-income ratio — stretched, especially for single earners. It lines up with what you'd expect. On the category level, Healthcare (index 103) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 115) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $77,415 and homes at $427,321 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
Cities are ranked by median 1-bedroom rent in ascending order using Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI). We include all tracked cities in New Hampshire with verified rent data, giving you a complete picture of the rental landscape from cheapest to most expensive. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Manchester ranks #1 in New Hampshire for this analysis with a cost index of 115 and median income of $77,415.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Manchester is $1,976/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $81 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Manchester is $427,321, which is 5.5× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
New Hampshire has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 0%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.57%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.