Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: Cost of Living, Taxes, Rent and Safety Compared
Weighing a move between Massachusetts and New Hampshire? Here’s how they compare on the numbers that decide most moves, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states.
Rent: a typical two-bedroom is $556 a month cheaper in New Hampshire ($2,010 vs $2,566) — $6,672 a year, 22% less.
Income tax: New Hampshire has no tax on wages; Massachusetts’s top rate is 9%.
State and local taxes: a median-income household would pay 8.2% of income in New Hampshire vs 12.7% in Massachusetts — income, property and sales tax together.
Everyday costs: close — 101.3 in Massachusetts and 101.8 in New Hampshire (U.S. = 100), housing excluded.
Pay: median household income is $104,828 in Massachusetts and $99,782 in New Hampshire.
Safety: New Hampshire has the lower violent crime rate (110.1 vs 314.7 per 100,000).
Weather: winter afternoons average 39°F in Boston and 37°F in Manchester; summer afternoons 80°F and 82°F.
Shaded cells are the lower-cost, higher-income or lower-risk figure. Indexes: U.S. average = 100.
What it means for your budget
Rent alone: moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire changes a typical two-bedroom rent by −$556 a month (−$6,672 a year); the move the other way flips the sign. Taxes, pay, insurance and the move itself shift too, and how much depends on your income, your household and the city you pick.
That’s exactly what Locustep’s Net-Impact Report works out: your take-home pay after state and local taxes in both places, rent or buy for your budget, insurance and moving costs, and the month the move pays for itself.
Which state fits you better?
On Locustep’s directional scores, Massachusetts leads on job market, healthcare, schools, remote-work infrastructure, infrastructure and transport, walkability and airport access. Which of those matters depends entirely on you.
Where people look in each state
Massachusetts
Boston
$3,008/mo two-bedroom
Boston is dense, old, walkable and academically saturated, with world-leading hospitals and universities. Housing is among the most expensive in the country, winters are long, and the local manner is direct to the point of brusque.
Cambridge
$3,008/mo two-bedroom
Cambridge is Harvard and MIT's city — extraordinary intellectual density, biotech money in Kendall Square, and some of the highest rents in America. Walkable, subway-connected and small enough to cross on foot.
Worcester
$2,043/mo two-bedroom
Worcester is Massachusetts's second city — hilly, affordable by state standards, with a dozen colleges and a growing biomanufacturing sector. A commuter-rail ride from Boston and considerably cheaper.
Manchester is New Hampshire's largest city — old mill buildings on the Merrimack, no income or sales tax, and an easy run to Boston. Affordable for New England, with cold winters and a modest downtown.
Portsmouth
$2,093/mo two-bedroom
Portsmouth is a small, beautiful coastal city with a colonial centre, a strong restaurant scene and a shipyard. Expensive for its size, walkable, and busy with tourists through the summer.
Nashua
$2,239/mo two-bedroom
Nashua sits on the Massachusetts border — a common choice for people working in Boston's northern suburbs who want New Hampshire's tax treatment. Suburban, safe, and reasonably priced for the region.
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
On rent, New Hampshire is cheaper: a typical two-bedroom is $2,010 a month against $2,566 (HUD FY2027). Everyday costs, housing excluded, index at 101.3 in Massachusetts and 101.8 in New Hampshire (U.S. = 100). Whether you come out ahead also depends on your pay and taxes in each state.
Which has lower taxes, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire. A married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.2% of it in state and local taxes, against 12.7% in Massachusetts (Locustep estimate). New Hampshire has no tax on wages; Massachusetts’s top rate is 9%.
Is Massachusetts safer than New Hampshire?
By violent crime, New Hampshire is lower: 110.1 per 100,000 residents against 314.7 (FBI, 2024). On natural hazards, FEMA puts Massachusetts at the 17th percentile and New Hampshire at the 55th (lower is safer).
Which has better weather, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
It depends what you want. Winter afternoons average 39°F in Boston and 37°F in Manchester; summer afternoons 80°F and 82°F (NOAA 1991–2020). Massachusetts: four distinct seasons. New Hampshire: four distinct seasons.