Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in New Hampshire with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in New Hampshire that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in New Hampshire at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Lancaster.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In New Hampshire For 2026
- Lancaster
- Gorham
- Bristol
- North Conway
- Hampton Beach
- Henniker
- Meredith
- Peterborough
- Jaffrey
- Tilton Northfield
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more New Hampshire reading:
- Best Counties To Live In New Hampshire
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New Hampshire
- Best Places To Retire In New Hampshire
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In New Hampshire For 2026
1. Lancaster
/10
Population: 2,230
Median Home Price: $298,858
Population Change: -1.5%
Home Price Change: -0.4%
More on Lancaster: Crime | Movers
2. Gorham
/10
Population: 2,092
Median Home Price: $249,338
Population Change: 2.3%
Home Price Change: -2.9%
More on Gorham: Crime | Movers
3. Bristol
/10
Population: 2,098
Median Home Price: $394,730
Population Change: -2.7%
Home Price Change: -2.7%
More on Bristol: Crime | Movers
4. North Conway
/10
Population: 2,041
Median Home Price: $548,313
Population Change: -10.7%
Home Price Change: 48.0%
More on North Conway: Movers
5. Hampton Beach
/10
Population: 2,605
Median Home Price: $641,463
Population Change: 0.8%
Home Price Change: 5.9%
More on Hampton Beach: Movers
6. Henniker
/10
Population: 2,993
Median Home Price: $489,035
Population Change: 3.9%
Home Price Change: -0.6%
More on Henniker: Crime | Movers
7. Meredith
/10
Population: 2,617
Median Home Price: $667,789
Population Change: -9.4%
Home Price Change: 0.2%
More on Meredith: Crime | Movers
8. Peterborough
/10
Population: 2,539
Median Home Price: $472,042
Population Change: 8.4%
Home Price Change: 1.0%
More on Peterborough: Crime | Movers
9. Jaffrey
/10
Population: 3,277
Median Home Price: $397,897
Population Change: 13.6%
Home Price Change: -0.2%
More on Jaffrey: Crime | Movers
10. Tilton Northfield
/10
Population: 3,101
Median Home Price: $315,122
Population Change: -2.1%
Home Price Change: 11.0%
More on Tilton Northfield: Movers
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in New Hampshire for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 11. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in New Hampshire. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in New Hampshire with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for New Hampshire with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in New Hampshire, only 46 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 46 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Lancaster is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Granite State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In New Hampshire for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in New Hampshire. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in New Hampshire are Lancaster, Gorham, Bristol, North Conway, Hampton Beach, Henniker, Meredith, Peterborough, Jaffrey, and Tilton Northfield.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more New Hampshire reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In New Hampshire
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lancaster | 2,230 | $298,858 | -1.5% | -0.4% |
| 2 | Gorham | 2,092 | $249,338 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 3 | Bristol | 2,098 | $394,730 | -2.7% | -2.7% |
| 4 | North Conway | 2,041 | $548,313 | -10.7% | 48.0% |
| 5 | Hampton Beach | 2,605 | $641,463 | 0.8% | 5.9% |
| 6 | Henniker | 2,993 | $489,035 | 3.9% | -0.6% |
| 7 | Meredith | 2,617 | $667,789 | -9.4% | 0.2% |
| 8 | Peterborough | 2,539 | $472,042 | 8.4% | 1.0% |
| 9 | Jaffrey | 3,277 | $397,897 | 13.6% | -0.2% |
| 10 | Tilton Northfield | 3,101 | $315,122 | -2.1% | 11.0% |
| 11 | Goffstown | 3,490 | $493,970 | 11.6% | 0.3% |
| 12 | Epping | 2,796 | $555,364 | -0.4% | 1.7% |
| 13 | Wolfeboro | 2,531 | $613,026 | 4.6% | 1.6% |
| 14 | Raymond | 3,645 | $484,908 | -6.1% | 1.6% |
| 15 | Conway | 3,879 | $446,669 | 1.2% | 1.3% |
| 16 | Farmington | 3,924 | $416,912 | 4.6% | 3.7% |
| 17 | Plymouth | 4,969 | $364,177 | 1.9% | -0.9% |
| 18 | Littleton | 4,114 | $355,436 | -2.3% | -2.4% |
| 19 | Pinardville | 4,418 | $360,878 | -3.7% | 3.7% |
| 20 | East Merrimack | 5,081 | $367,432 | 4.3% | 0.4% |
| 21 | Suncook | 5,432 | $455,162 | 7.0% | 8.3% |
| 22 | Hooksett | 5,876 | $522,158 | 9.6% | 0.6% |
| 23 | Newport | 4,758 | $320,216 | -8.2% | -1.9% |
| 24 | Newmarket | 5,679 | $553,162 | -0.9% | 2.0% |
| 25 | South Hooksett | 5,902 | $546,044 | 1.7% | 4.1% |
| 26 | Hudson | 7,469 | $534,265 | 5.1% | 0.2% |
| 27 | Milford | 8,956 | $508,125 | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| 28 | Franklin | 8,799 | $376,959 | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| 29 | Hanover | 8,479 | $959,517 | -0.5% | -0.9% |
| 30 | Exeter | 9,964 | $607,124 | -1.7% | 1.7% |
| 31 | Hampton | 10,101 | $618,202 | 1.4% | 2.6% |
| 32 | Berlin | 9,383 | $178,877 | -1.0% | -4.4% |
| 33 | Durham | 10,681 | $683,122 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 34 | Somersworth | 12,111 | $439,894 | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| 35 | Londonderry | 12,225 | $609,580 | -0.7% | 1.2% |
| 36 | Claremont | 13,078 | $274,193 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 37 | Lebanon | 14,999 | $453,643 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 38 | Laconia | 17,085 | $434,892 | 0.6% | 1.7% |
| 39 | Portsmouth | 22,545 | $798,497 | 1.0% | 4.4% |
| 40 | Keene | 22,939 | $341,419 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 41 | Derry | 21,339 | $493,914 | -1.5% | 1.1% |
| 42 | Rochester | 33,144 | $398,491 | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| 43 | Dover | 33,364 | $537,812 | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| 44 | Concord | 44,375 | $445,978 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| 45 | Nashua | 91,294 | $502,528 | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| 46 | Manchester | 115,643 | $435,333 | 0.2% | 0.4% |