State comparison
California vs New Hampshire: which state is better to live in?
New Hampshire costs a median household about $2,800 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because it has no income tax.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 2 categories
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 13 categories
Taxes: California vs New Hampshire
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 a year. New Hampshire has no state income tax. New Hampshire wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 1.86% in New Hampshire (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $8,184, so California has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $8,184 in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and New Hampshire's is 114, where 100 is the national average; New Hampshire is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $440K in New Hampshire (Zillow, 2024), a $350K gap in New Hampshire's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,750 in New Hampshire.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $950 in New Hampshire, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 167 in New Hampshire (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 199% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,150 in New Hampshire, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 79.7 in New Hampshire (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for New Hampshire. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and New Hampshire's 6th, so New Hampshire scores better on care.
6.8% of California residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in New Hampshire, which favors New Hampshire. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and New Hampshire's 5th, 15 places apart in New Hampshire's favor. New Hampshire runs a school-choice voucher program; California does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; New Hampshire has permitless carry and a grade of F, so California regulates guns more tightly and New Hampshire is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in California and legal with limits in New Hampshire, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $7.25 in New Hampshire.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California 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
2
California
13
New Hampshire
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California or New Hampshire better to live in?
New Hampshire wins more of the measures that decide a move. New Hampshire on taxes ($8,184 a year for a median household against $10,957); New Hampshire on everyday costs (index 114 against 142); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); New Hampshire on schools (ranked 5th against 20th).
Which is cheaper, California or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $440K in New Hampshire (2024). On state and local taxes New Hampshire saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does California or New Hampshire have lower taxes?
New Hampshire. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 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, California or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 167 in New Hampshire; property crime is 2,027 against 1,150.
Which has better schools, California or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and New Hampshire 5th. New Hampshire also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is California or New Hampshire better for retirees?
New Hampshire is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income 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 $5,609 a year in California and $8,184 in New Hampshire.