State comparison
New Hampshire vs Vermont: which state is better to live in?
New Hampshire costs a median household about $3,100 a year less in state and local taxes than Vermont, mostly because it has no income tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 114 against 111).
New Hampshire
Low tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 7 categories
Vermont
High tax burden · COL index 111
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: New Hampshire vs Vermont
New Hampshire has no state income tax. Vermont has a graduated income tax topping out at 8.75%, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,317 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 1.73% in Vermont (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $8,184 against $6,574, so Vermont has the lower rate.
New Hampshire has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.22% in Vermont.
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, $11,282 in Vermont. 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 Vermont's is 111, where 100 is the national average; Vermont is about 3% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $440K in New Hampshire and $380K in Vermont (Zillow, 2024), a $60K gap in Vermont's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,750 a month in New Hampshire and $1,600 in Vermont.
Home insurance averages $950 a year in New Hampshire and $900 in Vermont, so Vermont is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 167 incidents per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 167 in Vermont (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); the two are even. Property crime is 1,150 per 100,000 in New Hampshire against 1,390 in Vermont, again favoring New Hampshire.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.7 years in New Hampshire and 79.8 in Vermont (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.1-year edge for Vermont. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks New Hampshire's health system 6th of 50 and Vermont's 5th, so Vermont scores better on care.
6.3% of New Hampshire residents have no health insurance against 3.8% in Vermont, which favors Vermont. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire's K-12 schools 5th in the country and Vermont's 6th, 1 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 Vermont went to Harris by 31 points.
New Hampshire has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Vermont has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Vermont 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 Vermont, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in New Hampshire and $13.67 in Vermont.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is low in New Hampshire (blizzard, flood) and low in Vermont (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 27 in New Hampshire and 27 in Vermont (under 50 is good).
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
7
New Hampshire
9
Vermont
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is New Hampshire or Vermont 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 $11,282); Vermont on everyday costs (index 111 against 114); New Hampshire on schools (ranked 5th against 6th).
Which is cheaper, New Hampshire or Vermont?
Vermont is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 111 against 114. The median home is $440K in New Hampshire and $380K in Vermont (2024). On state and local taxes New Hampshire saves a median household about $3,100 a year.
Does New Hampshire or Vermont 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 $11,282 in Vermont ($3,317 income tax, $6,574 property tax on the median home and $1,392 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, New Hampshire or Vermont?
They are even on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 167 per 100,000 residents in New Hampshire and 167 in Vermont; property crime is 1,150 against 1,390.
Which has better schools, New Hampshire or Vermont?
New Hampshire. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks New Hampshire 5th of 50 for K-12 and Vermont 6th.
Is New Hampshire or Vermont 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; Vermont taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $8,184 a year in New Hampshire and $6,574 in Vermont.