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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: New Hampshire isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Manchester proves it with a cost index of 115, the lowest in New Hampshire, and we've ranked all 1 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive …
| Rank | City | Median Rent | Rent % of Gross | Cost Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | $1,976 | 59% | 115 | Details |
#1 Ranked: Manchester — cost index 115, rent $1,976/mo, income $77,415
0 of 1 cities keep rent under 30% of $40K gross income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Let's be honest: New Hampshire isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Manchester proves it with a cost index of 115, the lowest in New Hampshire, and we've ranked all 1 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
You get the picture.
Why Manchester ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 115 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 4% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,976/month while the median household pulls in $77,415/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (115) lags behind. Home prices average $427,321 — $40,049 below the national median.
And here's the trade-off: The 1 cities we track in New Hampshire paint a surprisingly balanced picture. Average cost index: 115. Median rent: $1,976/month — for better or worse — . Household income: $77,415. New Hampshire is known for no income tax in a traditionally expensive region — and the data backs that reputation with some caveats.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Manchester | 0% | 0% | 1.57% | $32,372 |
115,474 residents · New Hampshire
Here's Manchester by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 115. Rent: $1,976/month. Income: $77,415/year. Home price: $427,321. Population: 115,474. The strongest category is Healthcare at 103; the most expensive is Housing at 115. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $972 more per year vs. It lines up with what you'd expect. the national median. This is an advantage that compounds over time.
Manchester ranks #1 in New Hampshire for this analysis with a cost index of 115 and median income of $77,415.
Yes. On a $40K salary in Manchester, rent would consume about 59% of your gross monthly income. Financial experts recommend keeping rent under 30%. It's tight — consider a roommate or nearby suburb.
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.
After federal taxes, FICA (7.65%), and 0% state income tax, estimated take-home on $40K in Manchester is approximately $32,372/year ($2,698/month). After median rent of $1,976/month, you'd have roughly $8,660/year for all other expenses.
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.