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