New Hampshire city guide
Moving From California to Exeter, NH
A historic seacoast-area town with strong schools and Amtrak Downeaster access toward Boston.
Housing comparison
California versus Exeter, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- not available
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- not available
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- not available
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 9,964
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at Exeter
Exeter is a historic New England town a few miles inland from the seacoast, built around a compact downtown, the Squamscott River, and Phillips Exeter Academy, the well-known private secondary school whose campus anchors much of the town's identity and architecture. Public education here is also strong, with Exeter serving as the hub of a regional cooperative school district.
It sits roughly 15 miles from Portsmouth and about an hour from Boston, and it is one of the stops on the Amtrak Downeaster line, which gives residents a real rail option toward Boston in addition to the highway. That combination of small-town character and transit access is unusual for a town this size.
For a California household, Exeter offers strong schools, an appealing historic downtown, and seacoast proximity, at prices below Portsmouth itself but above the state's inland towns, reflecting steady demand from both regional buyers and Boston-area commuters.
Exeter fits you if
- You want strong public schools and are comfortable paying a premium in housing to get them.
- You want an option to commute toward Boston by rail rather than only by car.
- You want a historic small-town downtown with easy access to seacoast beaches and Portsmouth.
- You want a quieter, smaller alternative to Portsmouth while remaining close to it.
Look elsewhere if
- You are looking for New Hampshire's most affordable towns. Exeter carries a seacoast-area premium.
- You need a deep local job market. Most residents commute elsewhere in the region or to Boston for work.
- You need daily nonstop flights nearby. The nearest airports require real driving time.
- You want dense urban amenities. Exeter is a small town, not a city.
Housing in Exeter
Exeter's housing stock centers on well-preserved eighteenth and nineteenth-century homes near downtown and the Academy, with mid-century and newer subdivisions on the town's outer edges. The overall scale is small, and turnover is limited relative to demand.
Home prices sit below Portsmouth but above New Hampshire's inland towns, a reflection of strong schools, seacoast proximity, and rail access toward Boston. New Hampshire's lack of a state income tax means the property tax bill, set by the town, is the primary recurring state and local cost, and it should be confirmed for any specific property before purchase.
Because both regional buyers and Boston-area commuters compete for homes here, well-located and well-maintained properties tend to move quickly.
Work and the local economy
Phillips Exeter Academy is one of the town's largest employers and a significant presence in the local economy, alongside the Exeter Cooperative School District's public schools and Exeter Hospital.
Beyond those institutions, Exeter functions largely as a residential town for people who work elsewhere on the seacoast, in Portsmouth, or, via the Downeaster or Interstate 95, in the Boston area.
The local private job market outside education, healthcare, and small downtown businesses is limited, which makes Exeter a better fit for remote workers, regional commuters, and retirees than for someone needing to find specialized local work.
Climate near the seacoast
Exeter's inland-but-nearby-coastal position gives it a climate close to Portsmouth's: moderated winters relative to inland New Hampshire, warm and humid summers, and a well-regarded fall season.
Snow and cold are a normal part of winter, though somewhat less severe than towns farther from the coast at the same latitude.
Coastal storm systems can still bring heavy snow or rain to the area even though the town itself is not directly on the water.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- No commercial airport in town. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and Boston Logan are both roughly an hour's drive.
- Rail and highways
- Amtrak Downeaster station in town; NH Route 101 and NH Route 108 provide highway access, with Interstate 95 nearby.
- Hospital
- Exeter Hospital.
- Public schools
- Exeter Region Cooperative School District (SAU 16).
- Higher education
- Phillips Exeter Academy, a private secondary school, is the town's notable educational institution.
- Setting
- Historic town on the Squamscott River, a few miles inland from the New Hampshire seacoast.
The trade-offs
- Prices carry a seacoast and school-quality premium relative to New Hampshire's inland towns.
- The local job market outside education, healthcare, and small business is limited.
- No local commercial airport. Plan on driving to Manchester or Boston for flights.
- This is a small town, not a city. Retail and restaurant variety is modest compared to Portsmouth.
Other New Hampshire towns people compare
Portsmouth
A small, walkable seacoast city with a genuine restaurant and arts scene and the highest home prices in the state.
Nashua
New Hampshire's second largest city, on the Massachusetts border, with access to Boston-area jobs and no sales tax on purchases made in the state.
Concord
New Hampshire's capital, with stable state government employment and moderate housing costs for the region.
Hanover
A small Dartmouth College town on the Vermont border with excellent public schools and a small, expensive housing supply.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full New Hampshire picture are on the New Hampshire page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- Exeter Hospital, exeterhospital.com.
- Amtrak Downeaster, amtrakdowneaster.com.
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