Dover's median home price sits at $365,000, 13% below the $420,000 national median. On a $70,000 median household income, that puts the price-to-income ratio at 5.2x, or 5.2 years of gross pay for the purchase price alone.
At a 2.02% effective rate, Dover property taxes add $614 to the monthly payment on the median home, $7,373 a year in total.
New Hampshire charges no state income tax. Every dollar of the $70,000 median household income here converts more directly into covering the $2,669/month payment.
Dover's cost of living index is 107, above the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
Dover's median home price runs 4% lower than nearby Manchester: $380,000 there versus $365,000 here.