State comparison
New Hampshire vs Texas: which state is better to live in?
Texas costs a median household about $910 a year less in state and local taxes than New Hampshire, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $5,440 a year against $8,184 in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 7 categories
Texas
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: New Hampshire vs Texas
Neither New Hampshire nor Texas has a state income tax, so wages are untouched at the state level in both.
Property tax is 1.86% of home value a year in New Hampshire and 1.60% in Texas (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $8,184 against $5,440, so Texas has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19% in Texas.
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, $7,272 in Texas. Texas is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
New Hampshire's cost of living index is 114 and Texas's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Texas is about 18% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $440K in New Hampshire and $340K in Texas (Zillow, 2024), a $100K gap in Texas's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,750 a month in New Hampshire and $1,600 in Texas.
Home insurance averages $950 a year in New Hampshire and $3,200 in Texas, so New Hampshire is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 447 in Texas (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); New Hampshire is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 168% lower. Property crime is 1,150 per 100,000 in New Hampshire against 2,478 in Texas, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.7 years in New Hampshire and 76.3 in Texas (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.4-year edge for New Hampshire. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Hampshire's health system 6th of 50 and Texas's 36th, so New Hampshire scores better on care.
6.3% of New Hampshire residents have no health insurance against 18.4% in Texas, which favors New Hampshire. New Hampshire expanded Medicaid and Texas did not.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire's K-12 schools 5th in the country and Texas's 36th, 31 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 Texas went to Trump by 14 points.
New Hampshire has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Texas has permitless carry and a grade of F.
Abortion is legal with limits in New Hampshire and banned with narrow exceptions in Texas, and marijuana is legal for adults in New Hampshire and medical only in Texas as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in New Hampshire and $7.25 in Texas.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood) and very high in Texas (hurricane, tornado, flood), so New Hampshire is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 27 in New Hampshire and 43 in Texas (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
7
New Hampshire
6
Texas
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Hampshire or Texas better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Texas on taxes ($7,272 a year for a median household against $8,184); Texas on everyday costs (index 97 against 114); New Hampshire on safety (167 violent crimes per 100,000 against 447); New Hampshire on schools (ranked 5th against 36th).
Which is cheaper, New Hampshire or Texas?
Texas is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 114. The median home is $440K in New Hampshire and $340K in Texas (2024). On state and local taxes Texas saves a median household about $910 a year.
Does New Hampshire or Texas have lower taxes?
Texas. 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 $7,272 in Texas ($0 income tax, $5,440 property tax on the median home and $1,832 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Hampshire or Texas?
New Hampshire, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 447 in Texas; property crime is 1,150 against 2,478.
Which has better schools, New Hampshire or Texas?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire 5th of 50 for K-12 and Texas 36th.
Is New Hampshire or Texas 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; Texas 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 $5,440 in Texas.