State comparison
Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: which state is better to live in?
New Hampshire costs a median household about $3,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Massachusetts, mostly because it has no income tax.
Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 5 categories
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Massachusetts vs New Hampshire
Massachusetts has a graduated income tax topping out at 9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,729 a year. New Hampshire has no state income tax. New Hampshire wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.04% of home value a year in Massachusetts and 1.86% in New Hampshire (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $6,032 against $8,184, so Massachusetts has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.25% in Massachusetts.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,159 a year in Massachusetts, $8,184 in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Massachusetts's cost of living index is 148 and New Hampshire's is 114, where 100 is the national average; New Hampshire is about 30% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $580K in Massachusetts and $440K in New Hampshire (Zillow, 2024), a $140K gap in New Hampshire's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,400 a month in Massachusetts and $1,750 in New Hampshire.
Home insurance averages $1,500 a year in Massachusetts and $950 in New Hampshire, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 338 incidents per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 167 in New Hampshire (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 102% lower. Property crime is 1,283 per 100,000 in Massachusetts against 1,150 in New Hampshire, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 80 years in Massachusetts and 79.7 in New Hampshire (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.3-year edge for Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Massachusetts's health system 1st of 50 and New Hampshire's 6th, so Massachusetts scores better on care.
3.1% of Massachusetts residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in New Hampshire, which favors Massachusetts. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts's K-12 schools 1st in the country and New Hampshire's 5th, 4 places apart in Massachusetts's favor. New Hampshire runs a school-choice voucher program; Massachusetts does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Massachusetts went to Harris by 28 points and New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points.
Massachusetts has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; New Hampshire has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Massachusetts regulates guns more tightly and New Hampshire is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Massachusetts and legal with limits in New Hampshire, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in Massachusetts and $7.25 in New Hampshire.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Massachusetts (hurricane, blizzard, nor-easter) and low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 30 in Massachusetts 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
5
Massachusetts
10
New Hampshire
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Massachusetts 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 $11,159); New Hampshire on everyday costs (index 114 against 148); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 338); Massachusetts on schools (ranked 1st against 5th).
Which is cheaper, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 148. The median home is $580K in Massachusetts and $440K in New Hampshire (2024). On state and local taxes New Hampshire saves a median household about $3,000 a year.
Does Massachusetts or New Hampshire have lower taxes?
New Hampshire. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,159 a year in Massachusetts ($3,729 income tax, $6,032 property tax on the median home and $1,398 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, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 338 per 100,000 residents in Massachusetts and 167 in New Hampshire; property crime is 1,283 against 1,150.
Which has better schools, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
Massachusetts. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Massachusetts 1st of 50 for K-12 and New Hampshire 5th. New Hampshire also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Massachusetts or New Hampshire better for retirees?
New Hampshire is friendlier to retirees on paper. Massachusetts does not tax 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 $6,032 a year in Massachusetts and $8,184 in New Hampshire.