What it costs

People want a list of what things cost. Housing is the bill that moves. Groceries and ordinary goods skip a sales tax. Power and heat are New England prices. This is not a cheap-housing state.

Overall vs the rest of the country

BEA’s regional price parities set the US average at 100. New Hampshire sits a little above that. Housing rents are the piece that sticks out. This is not a 1-to-50 cheapness rank.

• All items, 2024: 104.2 (104.165 in the series). About 4% above the US average. BEA via FRED, NHRPPALL.
• Housing rents, 2024: 114.9 (114.947). About 15% above the US average. That is the expensive part. BEA via FRED, NHRPPSERVERENT.

BEA released the 2024 figures on February 19, 2026. FRED is a reprint of that table. The BEA page is Regional Price Parities.

Housing

Two official rent numbers. They measure different things. NHHFA is a 2024 survey of market-rate listings, with utilities added. Census ACS is what people already pay, averaged over five years.

NHHFA surveyed owners of market-rate units from March to May 2024 (published August 2024). Gross rent adds a utility allowance to the landlord’s charge. The Census figures are American Community Survey 5-year 2024, the same survey the map labels “Census survey, 2024.” Shade the map by median rent or home value for the town number.

Property tax

This is the real yearly bill. Towns pay for schools and roads with it. There is no honest statewide average bill on this page — rates differ by town.

• On a $500,000 house, $10 per thousand of value is about $5,000 a year. A town at $14 is about $7,000. Published 2024 full-value rates run from $1.18 to $23.70.
• The map uses the DRA full-value rate so towns can be compared. Your actual bill uses the town’s own assessment.
• Why NH — What taxes are there? and Compare taxes. Official rates: NH DRA — property tax.

Groceries

USDA’s food plans are a US-average cost for meals cooked at home. They are not a New Hampshire grocery survey. New Hampshire does not add a sales tax on groceries.

• Thrifty Food Plan, April 2026: a reference family of four (man and woman 20–50, children 6–8 and 9–11) is $1,013.20 a month. USDA TFP, April 2026.
• Moderate-Cost Food Plan, April 2026, US average: a woman 19–50 is $334.50 a month; a man 19–50 is $395.40. USDA publishes those by age, not a second family total. USDA three levels, April 2026.
• Monthly updates: USDA Cost of Food reports.

Power and heat

Electricity is New England-high. A lot of houses heat with oil, propane, or gas. These prices move. The cents-per-kWh figure is a rate, not a typical monthly bill — EIA does not publish one for New Hampshire in that table.

• Residential electricity, May 2026: 27.33 cents per kWh in New Hampshire, 18.44 cents in the US. EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A.
• NH Department of Energy statewide sample averages as of August 3, 2026 (weekly in the heating season, monthly the rest of the year): heating oil #2 $5.02/gal; propane $3.91/gal; natural gas first tier (under 100 therms) $1.98/therm; gasoline $4.06/gal; diesel $5.43/gal. NH fuel prices.

What you don’t pay

• No state income tax on wages. The old tax on interest and dividends is gone for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025.
• No general state sales tax. Groceries and ordinary goods skip it. Meals, rooms, and tobacco are separate.
• No capital gains tax.
• The longer tax write-up is on Why NH and Compare taxes.

Your town, not the average

Town-level rent and home value are on the map. This page is statewide official averages, not your town.

Official sources only. Reviewed by hand. Statewide averages, not your town.