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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
On a student budget, the math is brutal: loans, part-time income, zero margin. And generally speaking, you get the picture. We ranked 1 cities in New Hampshire on rent, food costs, and overall affordability. Manchester leads with rent at $1,976/mo and a food index of 109 (that's pre-tax, of course).
#1 Ranked: Manchester — cost index 111, rent $1,976/mo, income $77,415
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,976/mo, food index 109, cost index 111 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 111 | $1,976 | Details |
On a student budget, the math is brutal: loans, part-time income, zero margin. And generally speaking, you get the picture. We ranked 1 cities in New Hampshire on rent, food costs, and overall affordability. Manchester leads with rent at $1,976/mo and a food index of 109 (that's pre-tax, of course).
The way we see it, that's more or less in line with the region.
Manchester comes in at #1. That's about what we'd expect given the state context. Rent is $1,976 a month. Household income is $77,415. The cost of living index is 111. That's more or less in line with the region.
Bottom line: Manchester leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. That's more or less in line with the region. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
115,474 residents · New Hampshire
So, Manchester. And in practical terms, cost index of 111, rent at $1,976/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $77,415, which is below the national median. That tracks.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to students. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. 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 111 and median income of $77,415.
Manchester scores highest for students due to its strong income potential, median rent of $1,976/mo, and competitive 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.