Northeast · Updated October 2026
New Hampshire in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$2,010/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
24.2%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
None
on wage income
One of 9 states with no wage income tax
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.46%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
101.8
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
55th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where New Hampshire stands out: no state income tax on wages, the 2nd lowest violent crime and the 6th highest median household income among the 50 states.
What to weigh: the 9th most expensive two-bedroom rent, the 4th highest property taxes and the 9th highest everyday costs.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.2% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 18th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Manchester (Manchester Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 37°F | 20°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 58°F | 38°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 82°F | 61°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 62°F | 43°F |
$2,168/mo two-bedroom · $1,657 one-bedroom (Manchester, NH HUD Metro FMR Area)
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.
$2,093/mo two-bedroom · $1,600 one-bedroom (Portsmouth-Rochester, NH HUD Metro FMR Area)
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.
$2,239/mo two-bedroom · $1,804 one-bedroom (Nashua, NH HUD Metro FMR Area)
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.
$1,800/mo two-bedroom · $1,376 one-bedroom (Merrimack County, NH)
Concord is New Hampshire's small state capital, with government employment, a historic main street and a quiet pace. Central to the state, affordable, and short on nightlife.
$1,566/mo two-bedroom · $1,212 one-bedroom (Carroll County, NH)
North Conway is a White Mountains resort village — skiing, hiking, outlet shopping and heavy weekend traffic. Beautiful and seasonal, with limited year-round employment and constrained housing.
$1,734/mo two-bedroom · $1,322 one-bedroom (Cheshire County, NH)
Keene is a small college city in southwest New Hampshire with Keene State and a wide, tree-lined Main Street. Affordable for New England, with no state income tax and snowy winters.
$1,719/mo two-bedroom · $1,310 one-bedroom (Grafton County, NH)
Hanover is the home of Dartmouth College, a small, highly educated town on the Connecticut River with a major medical centre nearby. Housing is scarce and expensive, and winters are long.
$1,620/mo two-bedroom · $1,283 one-bedroom (Belknap County, NH)
Laconia is the main city of New Hampshire's Lakes Region, on Lake Winnipesaukee, known for its motorcycle week. Summer tourism and lake life, with quiet winters and moderate costs.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
No. New Hampshire is one of nine states that don’t tax wage income. Sales and property taxes still apply: a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 8.2% of income in state and local income, property and sales tax (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $2,010 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,556, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $251 more than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 101.8 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 127.2 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 24.2% of the state’s median household income of $99,782.
New Hampshire recorded 110.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 2nd lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are severe winter storms. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, New Hampshire’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 55th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Manchester, Portsmouth, Nashua, Concord and North Conway. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.