State comparison
Colorado vs New Hampshire: which state is better to live in?
Colorado costs a median household about $550 a year less in state and local taxes than New Hampshire, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,616 a year against $8,184 in New Hampshire.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 3 categories
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 13 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs New Hampshire
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. New Hampshire has no state income tax. New Hampshire wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 1.86% in New Hampshire (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $8,184, so Colorado has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $8,184 in New Hampshire. Colorado is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and New Hampshire's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Colorado is about 4% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $440K in New Hampshire (Zillow, 2024), a $105K gap in New Hampshire's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,750 in New Hampshire.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $950 in New Hampshire, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 167 in New Hampshire (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 171% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,150 in New Hampshire, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 79.7 in New Hampshire (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.9-year edge for New Hampshire. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and New Hampshire's 6th, so New Hampshire scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado 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 Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and New Hampshire's 5th, 4 places apart in New Hampshire's favor. New Hampshire runs a school-choice voucher program; Colorado does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; New Hampshire has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and New Hampshire is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Colorado and legal with limits in New Hampshire, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $7.25 in New Hampshire.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado 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 rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
3
Colorado
13
New Hampshire
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or New Hampshire better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Colorado on taxes ($7,634 a year for a median household against $8,184); Colorado on everyday costs (index 110 against 114); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); New Hampshire on schools (ranked 5th against 9th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or New Hampshire?
Colorado is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 110 against 114. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $440K in New Hampshire (2024). On state and local taxes Colorado saves a median household about $550 a year.
Does Colorado or New Hampshire have lower taxes?
Colorado. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 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, Colorado or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 167 in New Hampshire; property crime is 2,859 against 1,150.
Which has better schools, Colorado or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and New Hampshire 5th. New Hampshire also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Colorado or New Hampshire better for retirees?
New Hampshire is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly 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 $2,616 a year in Colorado and $8,184 in New Hampshire.