Cost of living in Portsmouth research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Portsmouth is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in New Hampshire, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Portsmouth is 128, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Portsmouth is 1.3x higher than the national average.
Portsmouth ranks as the #24 cheapest in New Hampshire out of 25.
Portsmouth ranks as the #5,183 cheapest out of 6,412 in the US.
The median home value in Portsmouth is $487,900.
The median income in Portsmouth is $91,915.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Portsmouth has an overall cost of living index of 128, which is 1.3x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to New Hampshire, Portsmouth has a cost of living index that's 1.1x higher than New Hampshire's index of 114.
The standard of living in Portsmouth ranks as #24 most affordable out of the 25 places we measured in New Hampshire. By definition, that implies Portsmouth ranks as the #1 most expensive place in the Granite State.
For more reading on life in Portsmouth, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Portsmouth. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Portsmouth is 110.
The Groceries index in Portsmouth is 100.
The Health index in Portsmouth is 112.
The Housing index in Portsmouth is 171.
The Transportation index in Portsmouth is 96.
The Utilities index in Portsmouth is 112.
Living Expense | Portsmouth | New Hampshire | National Average | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 128 | 114 | 100 | |
Services | 110 | 123 | 100 | |
Groceries | 100 | 102 | 100 | |
Health | 112 | 124 | 100 | |
Housing | 171 | 108 | 100 | |
Transportation | 96 | 110 | 100 | |
Utilities | 112 | 122 | 100 |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in New Hampshire, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2017-2021. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Portsmouth is $487,900.
The Median Rent in Portsmouth is $1,499.
The Median Income in Portsmouth is $91,915.
The Home Value To Income in Portsmouth is 5.3x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Portsmouth is 0.2x.
Statistic | Portsmouth | New Hampshire | United States |
---|---|---|---|
Median Home Value | $487,900 | $288,700 | $244,900 |
Median Rent | $1,499 | $1,212 | $1,163 |
Median Income | $91,915 | $83,449 | $69,021 |
Home Value To Income | 5.3x | 3.5x | 3.5x |
Rent To Monthly Income | 0.2x | 0.17x | 0.2x |
Item | Portsmouth | New Hampshire |
---|---|---|
Shampoo | $0.98 | $1.06 |
Movie | $8.77 | $10.68 |
Bowling | $19.0 | $14.67 |
Haircut | $25.03 | $18.62 |
Beauty Salon | $41.18 | $39.05 |
Item | Portsmouth | New Hampshire |
---|---|---|
Ground Beef | $3.49 | $4.22 |
Fried Chicken | $1.19 | $1.39 |
Milk | $2.79 | $2.05 |
Potatoes | $3.41 | $3.29 |
Pizza | $11.09 | $10.62 |
Beer | $8.99 | $9.38 |
Toothpaste | $2.64 | $2.34 |
Item | Portsmouth | New Hampshire |
---|---|---|
Optometrist | $101.89 | $108.57 |
Doctor | $152.49 | $116.17 |
Dentist | $121.64 | $99.13 |
Item | Portsmouth | New Hampshire |
---|---|---|
Gasoline | $2.0 | $2.22 |
Tire Balancing | $51.84 | $50.07 |
Item | Portsmouth | New Hampshire |
---|---|---|
All Electricity | $205.73 | $167.67 |
Phone | $179.98 | $175.64 |
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Portsmouth. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Dover, NH has a cost of living index of 113, 0.9x Portsmouth.
Rochester, NH has a cost of living index of 104, 0.8x Portsmouth.
Newburyport, MA has a cost of living index of 137, 1.1x Portsmouth.
City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Portsmouth |
---|---|---|---|
Dover, NH | 32,599 | 113 | 0.9x |
Rochester, NH | 32,317 | 104 | 0.8x |
Newburyport, MA | 18,282 | 137 | 1.1x |
Somersworth, NH | 11,964 | 102 | 0.8x |
Durham, NH | 11,616 | 121 | 0.9x |
Exeter, NH | 9,908 | 110 | 0.9x |
Hampton, NH | 9,900 | 124 | 1.0x |
Newmarket, NH | 5,621 | 108 | 0.8x |
Kittery, ME | 5,335 | 120 | 0.9x |