State comparison
New Hampshire vs California: 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.
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 13 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 2 categories
Taxes: New Hampshire vs California
New Hampshire has no state income tax. 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 wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.86% of home value a year in New Hampshire and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $8,184 against $5,609, 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: $8,184 a year in New Hampshire, $10,957 in California. New Hampshire is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Hampshire's cost of living index is 114 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; New Hampshire is about 25% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $440K in New Hampshire and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $350K gap in New Hampshire's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,750 a month in New Hampshire and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $950 a year in New Hampshire and $2,100 in California, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 199% lower. Property crime is 1,150 per 100,000 in New Hampshire against 2,027 in California, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.7 years in New Hampshire and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.5-year edge for New Hampshire. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Hampshire's health system 6th of 50 and California's 13th, so New Hampshire scores better on care.
6.3% of New Hampshire residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, which favors New Hampshire. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire's K-12 schools 5th in the country and California's 20th, 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 New Hampshire was a swing state decided by 2 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
New Hampshire has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; California has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so California regulates guns more tightly and New Hampshire is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is legal with limits in New Hampshire and protected by state law in California, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in New Hampshire and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 27 in New Hampshire and 62 in California (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
13
New Hampshire
2
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Hampshire or California 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, New Hampshire or California?
New Hampshire is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 114 against 142. The median home is $440K in New Hampshire and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes New Hampshire saves a median household about $2,800 a year.
Does New Hampshire or California have lower taxes?
New Hampshire. 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 $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Hampshire or California?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 499 in California; property crime is 1,150 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, New Hampshire or California?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire 5th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th. New Hampshire also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is New Hampshire or California better for retirees?
New Hampshire is friendlier to retirees on paper. New Hampshire does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $8,184 a year in New Hampshire and $5,609 in California.