Cost Of Living in Exeter, NH

Get 300+ Local Insights for Any Address in Exeter, NH

Get Access to 300+ Local Data Points

C+

16%

Overall NAT. AVG.

11%

Goods & Services NAT. AVG.

32%

Housing NAT. AVG.

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2025 and was released from C2ER in January, 2026; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Exeter	New Hampshire	National
Cost of living	116	113	100
Goods & Services	111	111	100
Groceries	100	100	100
Health care	108	108	100
Housing	132	125	100
Transportation	104	104	100
Utilities	115	115	100

Does this Area Fit Your Budget?

Know the community before you call it home
Compare multiple areas side by side
Access over 300 data points for any address

GET REPORT →

Homes For Sale In Exeter, NH

14 Bartlett Rd

Kensington, NH

171 Crawley Falls Rd

Brentwood, NH

1 Sterling Hill Ln #135

Exeter, NH

608 Canterbury Dr

Exeter, NH

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Exeter is 2% higher than the New Hampshire average
The cost of living in Exeter is 16% higher than the national average
Exeter housing is 32% higher than the national average
New Hampshire general sales tax is 100% lower than the national average
New Hampshire state income tax is 54% higher than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Exeter

See all the best places to live around Exeter

Compare Exeter, NH Cost of Living

Compare Neighborhoods & Addresses

Why stop at city-to-city? With Local Insights, you can compare neighborhoods, zip codes, or even exact addresses. Access 300+ hyperlocal data points—from schools and crime to housing and amenities—to see which area is the better fit.

UNLOCK FULL COMPARISON →

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Exeter poll results

The best places in New Hampshire

Here are the best places to live in New Hampshire

Most Dangerous States In The US

Safest States In The US

Check out the 10 most dangerous cities in New Hampshire

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$134,539	$11,212	$3,139	$4,037
Renters	$76,064	$6,339	$1,775	$2,282

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Exeter, NH, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Exeter have a median income of $134,539. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $3,139 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $76,064, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,775.

New Hampshire Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
New Hampshire	0%	0%

New Hampshire Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
New Hampshire	4%	4%

Goods & Services

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$32.10	$27.62	16.2%
Beauty Salon	$63.58	$51.11	24.4%
Toothpaste	$4.10	$4.09	0.2%
Shampoo	$1.54	$1.54	0.1%
Movie	$13.13	$12.88	1.9%
Yoga	$27.44	$19.66	39.6%

Groceries

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$6.89	$7.70	10.6%
Fried Chicken	$1.52	$1.66	8.6%
Milk	$4.84	$4.73	2.3%
Potatoes	$5.18	$5.26	1.5%
Pizza	$12.57	$12.76	1.5%
Beer	$9.88	$10.55	6.3%

Health Care

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$191.86	$140.06	37.0%
Doctor	$185.67	$153.82	20.7%
Dentist	$115.16	$123.15	6.5%
Ibuprofen	$12.09	$11.73	3.1%
Lipitor	$24.76	$23.61	4.9%

Housing

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$428,834.00	$326,622.00	31.3%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,625.98	$2,480.25	5.9%
Apartment Rent	$1,943.00	$1,444.00	34.6%

Transportation

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.96	$3.06	3.2%
Tire Balancing	$78.26	$65.21	20.0%

Utilities

Item	Exeter	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$278.51	$220.12	26.5%
Phone	$190.66	$195.71	2.6%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Raymond, NH	3,923	113	12.9%
Dover, NH	33,095	119	18.8%
Newmarket, NH	5,955	120	19.8%
Epping, NH	3,108	121	20.8%
South Eliot, ME	3,168	124	24.5%
Exeter, NH	9,649	116	15.6%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Northwest Harborcreek, PA	9,651	96	4.0%
Pont-Rouge, QC	9,651	n/a
Coral Hills, MD	9,661	117	17.5%
Carencro, LA	9,636	96	3.7%
Farnham, QC	9,662	n/a
Exeter, NH	9,649	116	15.6%