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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 1 cities across New Hampshire for rent, food, and cost of living. Manchester (rent $1,976/mo, cost index 115) ranks #1 for 2026.
Student life means every dollar counts. We scored 1 cities across New Hampshire for rent, food, and cost of living. Manchester (rent $1,976/mo, cost index 115) ranks #1 for 2026.
The numbers for Manchester are straightforward: 115 on the cost index, $1,976/month rent, $77,415 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That tracks.
Put it this way: Digging deeper, New Hampshire — no income tax in a traditionally expensive region. The 1 cities we track here average a cost index of 115 and median income of $77,415. It lands right near the national baseline, which makes the differences between individual cities all the more important. The typical rent runs $1,976/month, which is $81 more than the national median.
Bottom line: Manchester leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. You get the picture. 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. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Manchester — cost index 115, rent $1,976/mo, income $77,415
Student-budget scoring: rent $1,976/mo, food index 105, cost index 115 — survival-level affordability
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
115,474 residents · New Hampshire
So, Manchester. And in practical terms, cost index of 115, rent at $1,976/month. It's higher than the national average. Median income is $77,415, which is below the national median. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is.
| Rank | City | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 115 | $1,976 | Details |
Our persona scoring model weights cost, income, rent, healthcare, taxes, and city size based on what matters most to students. Each factor scores 10-25 points out of a 100-point composite. The guide ranks every tracked city in New Hampshire by this personalized metric. 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.
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.