State comparison
Connecticut vs New Hampshire: which state is better to live in?
New Hampshire costs a median household about $3,700 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because it has no income tax.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 6 categories
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs New Hampshire
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. New Hampshire has no state income tax. New Hampshire wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 1.86% in New Hampshire (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $8,184, so Connecticut has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,843 a year in Connecticut, $8,184 in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and New Hampshire's is 114, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $440K in New Hampshire (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,750 in New Hampshire.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $950 in New Hampshire, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 167 in New Hampshire (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 22% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,150 in New Hampshire, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 79.7 in New Hampshire (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and New Hampshire's 6th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in New Hampshire, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and New Hampshire's 5th, 2 places apart in Connecticut's favor. New Hampshire runs a school-choice voucher program; Connecticut does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; New Hampshire has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Connecticut regulates guns more tightly and New Hampshire is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Connecticut and legal with limits in New Hampshire, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $7.25 in New Hampshire.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut 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
Connecticut
10
New Hampshire
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut 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 $11,843); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 203); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 5th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or New Hampshire?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 114. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $440K in New Hampshire (2024). On state and local taxes New Hampshire saves a median household about $3,700 a year.
Does Connecticut or New Hampshire have lower taxes?
New Hampshire. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,843 a year in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 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, Connecticut or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 167 in New Hampshire; property crime is 1,380 against 1,150.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or New Hampshire?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and New Hampshire 5th. New Hampshire also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Connecticut or New Hampshire better for retirees?
New Hampshire is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; New Hampshire does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $8,184 in New Hampshire.