Is New Hampshire a Great Place to Live?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#2

2nd out of 50 states overall.

Among the best in the country for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#37

37th cheapest state, about 10% above average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $82,600 here.

How we measure cost ›

New Hampshire ranks 2nd of 50 states for overall quality of life and 37th for affordability. It does best on safety, healthcare, and air quality, and struggles most with walkability, climate, and cost. A typical household earns about $90,100 a year, and the cost of living runs about 10% above average.

Why New Hampshire ranks #2 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how New Hampshire scores on each, best to worst.

Safety
#1 of 50
Healthcare
#3 of 50
Air quality
#3 of 50
Education
#4 of 50
Dog friendly
#12 of 50
Economy
#16 of 50
Green space
#16 of 50
Walkability
#21 of 50
Climate
#29 of 50
Cost of living
#37 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

New Hampshire at a glance

Typical household income

$90,100

11th highest

Typical home price

$528,000

7th highest

Overall cost of living

10% above average

37th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 9%

42nd highest income tax

Typical commute

About 27 min

one way

Taxes in New Hampshire

See your real New Hampshire take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after New Hampshire taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.