State comparison
Alabama vs New Hampshire: which state is better to live in?
Alabama costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than New Hampshire, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $850 a year against $8,184 in New Hampshire.
Alabama
Moderate tax burden · COL index 87
Wins 6 categories
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Alabama vs New Hampshire
Alabama has a graduated income tax topping out at 5%, which works out to 4.9% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,689 a year. New Hampshire has no state income tax. New Hampshire wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.39% of home value a year in Alabama and 1.86% in New Hampshire (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $850 against $8,184, so Alabama has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 9.22% in Alabama.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $6,602 a year in Alabama, $8,184 in New Hampshire. Alabama is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Alabama's cost of living index is 87 and New Hampshire's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Alabama is about 31% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $218K in Alabama and $440K in New Hampshire (Zillow, 2024), a $222K gap in Alabama's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,050 a month in Alabama and $1,750 in New Hampshire.
Home insurance averages $2,400 a year in Alabama and $950 in New Hampshire, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 547 incidents per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 167 in New Hampshire (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 228% lower. Property crime is 2,247 per 100,000 in Alabama against 1,150 in New Hampshire, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 73.2 years in Alabama and 79.7 in New Hampshire (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 6.5-year edge for New Hampshire. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Alabama's health system 41st of 50 and New Hampshire's 6th, so New Hampshire scores better on care.
11.2% of Alabama residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in New Hampshire, which favors New Hampshire. New Hampshire expanded Medicaid and Alabama did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama's K-12 schools 44th in the country and New Hampshire's 5th, 39 places apart in New Hampshire's favor. Both states run school-choice voucher programs.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Alabama went to Trump by 28 points and New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Alabama has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; New Hampshire has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Alabama and legal with limits in New Hampshire, and marijuana is medical only in Alabama and legal for adults in New Hampshire as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in Alabama and $7.25 in New Hampshire.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Alabama (tornado, flood) and low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 38 in Alabama and 27 in New Hampshire (under 50 is good), favoring New Hampshire.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Alabama
9
New Hampshire
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Alabama or New Hampshire better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Alabama on taxes ($6,602 a year for a median household against $8,184); Alabama on everyday costs (index 87 against 114); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 547); New Hampshire on schools (ranked 5th against 44th).
Which is cheaper, Alabama or New Hampshire?
Alabama is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 87 against 114. The median home is $218K in Alabama and $440K in New Hampshire (2024). On state and local taxes Alabama saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does Alabama or New Hampshire have lower taxes?
Alabama. A household earning $74,580 pays about $6,602 a year in Alabama ($3,689 income tax, $850 property tax on the median home and $2,063 in sales tax) and $8,184 in New Hampshire ($0 income tax, $8,184 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Alabama or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 547 per 100,000 residents in Alabama and 167 in New Hampshire; property crime is 2,247 against 1,150.
Which has better schools, Alabama or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Alabama 44th of 50 for K-12 and New Hampshire 5th.
Is Alabama or New Hampshire better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Alabama does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; New Hampshire does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $850 a year in Alabama and $8,184 in New Hampshire.