7 Best Places to Live in New Hampshire
Open to exploring your options? Discover other great cities in New Hampshire with our detailed guide.
Located between Portsmouth and Rochester, Dover is a historic city with a rich past spanning almost four centuries. Dover, also known as the Garrison City, sits in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, touting a thriving downtown area along the banks of the Cocheco River. In the downtown area, residents enjoy a broad selection of cafes, shops, taverns, and other small businesses housed in beautifully preserved historic buildings.
Outside of downtown, Dover adopts a more suburban character, with tranquil neighborhoods covering most of the landscape. The Dover Transportation Center is a stop on Amtrak’s Downeaster line, offering rail service to Boston and Portland. The University of New Hampshire is just outside of town in neighboring Durham, making Dover a great option for students, faculty, and staff members.
As of April 2025, the average apartment rent in Dover, NH is $1,295 for a studio, $1,727 for one bedroom, $1,971 for two bedrooms, and $2,557 for three bedrooms. Apartment rent in Dover has increased by 2.7% in the past year.
Open to exploring your options? Discover other great cities in New Hampshire with our detailed guide.
Somewhat Walkable
out of 100 WalkScore® Rating
You might be able to get out and walk when living in this area. Some errands can be accomplished on foot, but for others you’ll need a car.
Somewhat Bikeable
out of 100 BikeScore® Rating
You might be able to find places to ride your bike in this area, but you’ll most likely want your car for most errands.
Public
Grades K-4
391 Students
Frances G. Hopkins Elementary School at Horne Street
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393 Students
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1,018 Students
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436 Students
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1,018 Students
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† Our analysis of utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, home prices, and other goods and services is sourced from the Cost of Living Index, a respected benchmark published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) that provides a thorough overview of living expenses across different regions.
Rent data is provided by CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. As the industry leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, CoStar conducts extensive research to produce and maintain a comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. We combine this data with public record to provide the most up-to-date rental information available.
Consumer goods, services, and home prices are sourced from the Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). The data on this page is updated quarterly. It was last published in February 2025.