To clarify: I currently have that here in my current place in KS. Heating is covered with the rent at my new place in Manchester. I'm just looking to see what electric bills average out to without that heat component.

>No gadget will save you.

I'd be sad-faced about it if I was actually asking to be saved from one.

>If the apartment has an electric furnace/baseboards, consider buying space heaters and only actually heating the room you are in (e.g. just the bedroom at night).

Good stuff! I hear buying some thick, blackout curtains can also help with the drafts and efficiency. Will keep what you said in mind. Thanks!

Thanks! I'm looking for housing with a budget of $1300 or below and I'm aware that it might take some luck to find something that's relatively decent. As far as tips, just anything about the eatery/restaurant and music scenes there. I'm very much an introvert but I'd like to put myself out there as much as I can and get familiar and comfortable with life there (and distract myself from the inevitable homesickness that'll be apparent for the first few weeks/months).

Curious about sightseeing in Boston as well (aquariums, museums, food, and touristy things I guess).

I'm Mexican-American as well so that's even better.

Thanks for the tip about the real-estate broker. I'll seriously look into that as I'd rather find a place before I move there. How was your experience with that?

I'll be making $50k, which I noticed is just below the income limit for public assistance for a single person in Manchester (lol) . I don't have any debts such as student loans or my car so I might be a little flexible but I'm looking to stay at $1300 or below for anything ranging from a studio to a 2-bedroom. Again, I'm just trying to get a feel for what's realistic with my income, cost-of-living, and housing availability.

Thanks! I was also trying to see who the local internet providers are and set up services once I'm there.

Gracias, amigo! One of the things I look for when moving somewhere new is a presence of a Latino/Hispanic community as it generally helps me feel less isolated, especially in parts of the US where we have a very small presence, if at all. I also want to ask if you'd be interested in meeting up in-person once I'm situated there.

Damn, I have T-Mobile currently but may consider switching as I need to upgrade anyway, though not sure if I want to get a local number or stick to my KS one. Thanks for the heads-up, and I've seen pics of how beautiful New England is during the fall so I'm excited!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm pretty excited to move there and experience all that there is to see and do.

I've never lived in Wichita, but I've driven through there, and spent many a weekend there, an infinite amount of times growing up that I feel qualified to give some perspective:

If you're used to cost-of-living in NH, then you'll find KS to be a cheaper breath of fresh air, especially with housing. The local eatery/bar scene is pretty decent, in addition to the nicer up-scale places. I will say that one of the worst parts about Wichita is the lack of decent public transportation (as is the case in most Kansas towns, including my own) and the influence of Big Business on the City Council, but there are plenty of activities and shopping to do here whether you're single or have a family (Sedgwick County Zoo, Towne East Square Mall, etc.) as well as other decent destinations that are within a 3-hour drive (Oklahoma City, OK, "Little Sweden" in Lindsborg, KS, and the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson all come to mind). There are also some decent hiking trails a short drive from Wichita if you're into that.

Also, the weather can almost randomize here frequently but it can generally be windy here, which is something most of us Kansans are used to. The crime rate has also been going up, but nowhere near the levels you would see in Chicago and, I'd imagine, Boston.

Hopefully this helps!

Thanks! I'm a housing Case Manager and I've worked extensively with our local housing authority and it's interesting seeing things from my clients' perspective for the first time regarding high housing costs and difficulty finding something 'reasonable.'

I'm not a fan of attracting attention to myself at all so I think I'll be fine once I find a place.

I'm currently going through the 'wtf did I just do?' phase after I made the decision to (eventually) pack up and leave everything here behind to experience something new--especially as an introvert.

Thanks for the The Hippo recommendation; I want to come prepared so I'll give it a read before I move.

This is a great answer, thank you!

I was told good things about NH and Manchester so I'm excited to relocate. I'm starting to get an inkling of which areas are safer than others (Google Maps is my friend) so I appreciate your experiences.

Cost-of-living there is much higher than here (and what I'm used to), and looking for housing was the first clue I got as to how expensive it is there. I've no plans to buy a house yet and the housing market seems too atrocious to consider that, at the moment. Y'all have a lot of cool shit to do there just based on what I found online, and even better knowing that Boston is close as well, so thank you for the recommendations. I'd appreciate any more tips if you can think of them later on!

My job's actually in Nashua but I have flexibility to work from home whenever, and my impression is that housing options in both Nashua and Manchester are...not great. I'm leaning towards Manchester simply because the vibes and population sizes are pretty similar to where I currently live (Lawrence, KS).

Awesome stuff! Thank you!

I've been hitting up Craigslist and FB Marketplace every day for housing and I'm starting to (hopefully) get an idea of where I should live and what I can realistically afford (we don't get paid enough in my field sadly), and they seem to parallel what you said.

Strangely enough, I live in Lawrence, KS, where the population size is roughly the same as Manchester, and also here folks commute to nearby Kansas City, Missouri for work which has also driven up housing and overall cost-of-living, so I'm also considering housing just outside the area (Londonderry, Bedford, etc.), so I appreciate that your advice is the same as what I was considering!

Haha, as someone who currently works as a Housing Case Manager here in KS, it's not surprising that the housing market there seems just as bad as it is here so that's something I'm taking into account when looking.