Looking for a rock-solid place to retire in the Granite Place?
You’re in the right place because we’ve found the top spots in New Hampshire to spend your golden years.
Luckily, there’s a wide array of places to choose from, so whatever your retirement priorities are, there’s something for you. If you want to live in the middle of the action, Concord is the place to be, while if you always imagined retiring beside the sea, Portsmouth or Hampton are your best bets. Or if you’d like to be near the bigger cities like Manchester and Nashua, but still have apple orchards aplenty, then Londonderry is calling.
Florida may have New Hampshire beat in terms of heat, but if natural beauty is your thing, it’s hard to top New Hampshire’s rugged landscape, especially in autumn. And if you don’t feel up for the often wild and steep trails in White Mountain National Forest, there’s always the option to drive up Mountain Washington. Even if you’re reading a book by the side of the Merrimack River, you can’t help but appreciate the nature in New Hampshire.
Without further ado, let’s turn to the absolute best places to retire in New Hampshire.
$1,654 median rent · $97,163 median income · #14 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,711 median rent · $87,346 median income · #16 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town’s population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. Home to the Phillips Exeter Academy, a private university-preparatory school, Exeter is situated where the Exeter River feeds the tidal Squamscott River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,302 median rent · $112,070 median income · #5 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,638 at the 2010 census. Durham is home to the University of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$815 median rent · $45,180 median income · #1 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Coos County, New Hampshire
Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Cos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city’s boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest. Berlin is home to the Berlin and Cos County Historical Society’s Moffett House Museum & Genealogy Center, Service Credit Union Heritage Park, the Berlin Fish Hatchery, and the White Mountains Community College, member of the Community College System of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,549 median rent · $91,673 median income · #10 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 33,109 at the 2010 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the fourth most-populous community in the state. The town’s nickname, “Spacetown”, derives from the fact that Derry is the birthplace of Alan Shepard, the first astronaut from the United States in space. Derry was also for a time the home of the poet Robert Frost and his family.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,369 median rent · $80,836 median income · #7 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Strafford County, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752, and in 2016 the estimated population was 30,345. The city includes the villages of East Rochester, Gonic, and North Rochester. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,722 median rent · $95,842 median income · #17 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located along the Massachusetts state line. The population was 24,467 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 24,645 in 2013. It is the ninth-largest municipality in the state, by population.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,869 median rent · $106,219 median income · #21 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is the only city in the county, but only the fourth-largest community, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census. As of 2016 the estimated population was 21,485. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination, Portsmouth was the home of the Strategic Air Command’s Pease Air Force Base, later converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease with limited commercial air service.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,110 median rent · $71,648 median income · #2 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 8,477, the lowest of any of New Hampshire’s 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$1,224 median rent · $73,218 median income · #4 cheapest rent in New Hampshire
Located in
Belknap County, New Hampshire
Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,951 at the 2010 census, and an estimated 16,470 as of 2016. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam Lake, includes the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each June for nine days beginning on the Saturday of the weekend before Father’s Day and ending on Father’s Day, the city hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, also more simply known as ‘bike week’, one of the country’s largest rallies, and each winter, the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby. The city is also the site of the state’s annual Pumpkin Festival since 2015, having organized it after its former home of Keene rejected it due to riots in their neighborhoods in 2014. The city also includes one of the colleges of the Community College System of New Hampshire.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New Hampshire’s statewide median.
New Hampshire statewide median: $99,031
New Hampshire statewide median: $507,347
On the map
Where to retire in New Hampshire
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Granite State for 2026
To create our ranking of the best places in New Hampshire to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Granite State — 97 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 5,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 23 places from across the state.
For these 23, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 23, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Hampton, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2026. This list reflects our eleventh time ranking the best places to retire in New Hampshire.
The full plate
Best Places To Retire In New Hampshire
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Retire Score | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hampton | 7.70 | 10,101 | $97,163 | $618,203 | $1,654 |
| 2 | Exeter | 8.10 | 9,964 | $87,346 | $607,124 | $1,711 |
| 3 | Durham | 8.50 | 10,681 | $112,070 | $683,122 | $1,302 |
| 4 | Berlin | 9.20 | 9,383 | $45,180 | $178,877 | $815 |
| 5 | Derry | 9.70 | 21,339 | $91,673 | $493,914 | $1,549 |
| 6 | Rochester | 10.10 | 33,144 | $80,836 | $398,492 | $1,369 |
| 7 | Hudson | 10.60 | 7,469 | $95,842 | $534,266 | $1,722 |
| 8 | Portsmouth | 10.70 | 22,545 | $106,219 | $798,497 | $1,869 |
| 9 | Franklin | 11.00 | 8,799 | $71,648 | $376,959 | $1,110 |
| 10 | Laconia | 11.20 | 17,085 | $73,218 | $434,892 | $1,224 |
| 11 | Concord | 11.80 | 44,375 | $84,902 | $445,979 | $1,441 |
| 12 | Newmarket | 11.90 | 5,679 | $87,196 | $553,162 | $1,701 |
| 13 | Londonderry | 12.60 | 12,225 | $119,571 | $609,580 | $1,952 |
| 14 | Hooksett | 12.70 | 5,876 | $101,053 | $522,158 | $1,811 |
| 15 | Milford | 13.20 | 8,956 | $78,684 | $508,126 | $1,557 |
| 16 | Dover | 13.30 | 33,364 | $94,829 | $537,812 | $1,607 |
| 17 | Nashua | 13.60 | 91,294 | $96,326 | $502,529 | $1,737 |
| 18 | Claremont | 13.90 | 13,078 | $59,096 | $274,193 | $1,146 |
| 19 | Somersworth | 14.10 | 12,111 | $74,504 | $439,895 | $1,477 |
| 20 | Hanover | 14.40 | 8,479 | $153,281 | $959,517 | $2,254 |
| 21 | Keene | 14.80 | 22,939 | $78,445 | $341,420 | $1,342 |
| 22 | Manchester | 15.90 | 115,643 | $81,007 | $435,334 | $1,564 |
| 23 | Lebanon | 17.00 | 14,999 | $98,147 | $453,644 | $1,744 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI UCR, OpenFlights. 23 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In New Hampshire Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in New Hampshire goes to Hampton.
The best places to retire in New Hampshire are Hampton, Exeter, Durham, Berlin, Derry, Rochester, Hudson, Portsmouth, Franklin, and Laconia.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley.
