Massachusetts vs New Hampshire
In $100,000 in Massachusetts
$94,518
The same income in New Hampshire
$95,969
$100,000 has $1,451 more purchasing power in New Hampshire.
Figures are in national-average dollars: what the income buys once each state's prices are accounted for (US = 100). Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, released February 19, 2026. How it's calculated
Salary needed in New Hampshire
$98,488
to match $100,000 in Massachusetts, before tax.
We compare it with your current income after local prices.
Enter an offer greater than zero, or leave this field blank.
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Where the difference comes fromPrice components
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. The Difference column compares the destination price level with the origin; higher means the destination is more expensive.
| Component | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 105.8 | 104.2 | −1.5% |
| Housing rents | 128.1 | 114.9 | −10.3% |
| Goods | 98.8 | 98.6 | −0.2% |
| Utilities | 152.1 | 133.7 | −12.1% |
| Other services | 102.9 | 103.9 | +1.0% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 19, 2026 · Official data
Housing reality checkRent, homes & property tax
Housing reality check
ACS median gross rent, home value, and real estate taxes paid — statewide context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official data
Tax at a glanceIncome & sales tax
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
Top marginal and average combined rates do not estimate a household's total tax liability.
| Tax | Massachusetts | New Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | 9.00% | None |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 6.25% | 0.00% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Who comes out ahead in New Hampshire?
The answer depends on your situation. Each card compares statewide medians for one situation; the state named is the one the numbers favor.
An unchanged income buys about 1.5% more in New Hampshire than in Massachusetts. On $100,000 that is $1,451 of national-average purchasing power a year.
Median gross rent is $1,762 in Massachusetts and $1,491 in New Hampshire, $271 a month ($3,252 a year) less in New Hampshire. Renters spend a median 30.9% and 29.4% of income on rent.
The median home is worth $562,100 in Massachusetts (5.4× median household income) and $402,500 in New Hampshire (4.1×). Median property taxes equal 1.07% and 1.66% of the median home value.
Median household income is $103,960 in Massachusetts and $99,031 in New Hampshire. After adjusting for prices, that is $98,261 and $95,039: local pay goes further in Massachusetts.
Unemployment is 4.4% in Massachusetts and 2.8% in New Hampshire (July 2026). New Hampshire has the tighter labor market by 1.6 points. Pay for specific jobs is compared below.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire head to head
Statewide figures the calculator above does not show. “Edge” (bold on small screens) marks the state with the lower cost or higher income on that row; rows without a clear better direction are left blank.
| Measure | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | |||
| Median household income | $103,960 | $99,031 | Massachusetts |
| Adjusted for local prices | $98,261 | $95,039 | Massachusetts |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownership rate | 62.5% | 72.8% | |
| Rent as % of renter income | 30.9% | 29.4% | New Hampshire |
| Owner costs as % of income | 19.4% | 19.5% | Massachusetts |
| Home value ÷ household income | 5.4× | 4.1× | New Hampshire |
| Home price change, 2020–2025 · FHFA index | +49.9% | +64.7% | |
| Taxes | |||
| Top income tax rate | 9.00% (graduated) | None on wages | New Hampshire |
| Combined sales tax (avg) | 6.25% | 0.00% | New Hampshire |
| Median property tax paid | $5,992 | $6,667 | Massachusetts |
| Property tax ÷ home value | 1.07% | 1.66% | Massachusetts |
| Jobs | |||
| Unemployment (July 2026) | 4.4% | 2.8% | New Hampshire |
| Minimum wage | $15.00/hr | $7.25/hr | |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Median rent, 2 bedrooms | $1,876/mo | $1,642/mo | New Hampshire |
| Average electric bill (2024) | $167/mo | $145/mo | New Hampshire |
| Electricity price | 29.4¢/kWh | 23.4¢/kWh | New Hampshire |
| Health care spending per person (2025) | $12,751 | $11,555 | |
| All consumer spending per person (2025) | $74,900 | $72,282 | |
| People | |||
| Population change since July 2020 | +2.4% | +2.6% | |
| Net moves from other states | −145,282 | +34,962 | |
| Median age | 40.0 | 43.3 | |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 47.3% | 40.6% | |
| No health insurance | 2.6% | 5.3% | Massachusetts |
| Average commute | 29.1 min | 26.7 min | New Hampshire |
| Crime (2025, per 100,000 residents) | |||
| Violent crime | 302.7 | 117.6 | New Hampshire |
| Property crime | 1,031.2 | 818.1 | New Hampshire |
| Murder | 1.4 | 1.2 | New Hampshire |
| Climate (1991–2020 averages) | |||
| Average temperature | 48.8°F | 44.1°F | |
| July average high | 81.9°F | 79.1°F | |
| January average low | 17.1°F | 9.5°F | |
| Precipitation | 48.6 in | 47.9 in | |
Sources: Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates, FHFA house price index via FRED, BLS LAUS, Tax Foundation 2026, US DOL minimum wage, EIA, BEA consumer spending, Census population estimates, FBI crime estimates, and NOAA statewide climate. Median property tax covers owner-occupied homes. Spending is in current dollars and reflects both prices and incomes.
Who is moving between Massachusetts and New Hampshire
In 2024, about 20,310 people living in New Hampshire had lived in Massachusetts a year earlier, and about 11,286 made the opposite move. On net, New Hampshire gained about 9,024 residents from Massachusetts that year.
Census State-to-State Migration Flows (ACS 1-year, 2024). ± values are 90% margins of error. Massachusetts and New Hampshire profiles list each state's largest sources and destinations. What the biggest moves trade →
Salary in New Hampshire that matches your Massachusetts pay
Pre-tax salary needed in New Hampshire to keep the same purchasing power, using the all-items price levels (105.8 and 104.2).
| Salary in Massachusetts | Equivalent in New Hampshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $39,395 | −$605 |
| $60,000 | $59,093 | −$907 |
| $80,000 | $78,790 | −$1,210 |
| $100,000 | $98,488 | −$1,512 |
| $150,000 | $147,732 | −$2,268 |
| $200,000 | $196,975 | −$3,025 |
What the same job pays in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
BLS median annual wages (May 2025), then the same wages adjusted for each state's price level. The last column names the state where the job's median pay buys more.
| Occupation | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | MA adjusted | NH adjusted | Goes further in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | $104,550 | $99,700 | $98,819 | $95,681 | Massachusetts |
| Software Developers | $165,210 | $139,720 | $156,153 | $134,088 | Massachusetts |
| Elementary School Teachers | $94,000 | $72,410 | $88,847 | $69,491 | Massachusetts |
| Electricians | $79,420 | $62,840 | $75,066 | $60,307 | Massachusetts |
| Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $63,030 | $60,280 | $59,575 | $57,850 | Massachusetts |
| Accountants and Auditors | $99,460 | $83,470 | $94,008 | $80,106 | Massachusetts |
| Police & Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $78,940 | $71,640 | $74,612 | $68,752 | Massachusetts |
| Pharmacists | $138,170 | $143,020 | $130,595 | $137,255 | New Hampshire |
| Dental Hygienists | $100,640 | $101,250 | $95,123 | $97,169 | New Hampshire |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers | $62,570 | $62,360 | $59,140 | $59,846 | New Hampshire |
Prices inside each state
A statewide price level averages cities and rural areas. The BEA also publishes price levels for metro areas; here is the range in each state.
Massachusetts
- Lowest Pittsfield, MA 95.1
- Highest Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 108.3
- Metro areas 7
New Hampshire
- Lowest Manchester-Nashua, NH 105.7
- Highest Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 108.3
- Metro areas 2
Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: the read
The bottom line
Compare a $100,000 income in Massachusetts and New Hampshire: its purchasing power is $94,518 and $95,969, respectively, in national-average terms — a gain of $1,451. New Hampshire is the cheaper of the two, running at 104.2 on the price index versus 105.8.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap on the index is utilities: Massachusetts sits at 152.1 and New Hampshire at 133.7 (100 = national), and New Hampshire has the edge there. Rents also differ (128.1 versus 114.9), and because rent takes a much larger share of a typical budget than utilities, it usually does more to separate the two states' overall price levels.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,762 in Massachusetts against $1,491 in New Hampshire, and the typical home $562,100 versus $402,500. New Hampshire is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Massachusetts has 9.00% top income tax and a combined sales tax of 6.25%; New Hampshire has no wage income tax and 0.00%. Those headline rates are useful screening facts, but they do not calculate either household's total liability.
Full profiles: Massachusetts · New Hampshire. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: common questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
New Hampshire is cheaper overall. Its price level is 104.2 against 105.8 in Massachusetts (US = 100), so the same basket of goods and services costs about 1.5% less there. The difference is usually largest for rent.
What salary in New Hampshire matches $100,000 in Massachusetts?
About $98,488, before tax. That is $100,000 × 104.2 ÷ 105.8. Income tax, your actual rent or mortgage, and commuting costs can all shift the break-even point.
Which state has lower taxes, Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
Massachusetts has a graduated income tax with a top rate of 9.00% and an average combined sales tax of 6.25%. New Hampshire has no tax on wage income and 0.00%. Median real estate taxes paid by owners are $5,992 and $6,667 a year. Which state costs a household less depends on its income, spending, and whether it owns a home.
Do people earn more in Massachusetts or New Hampshire?
Median household income is $103,960 in Massachusetts and $99,031 in New Hampshire. Adjusted for prices, that is $98,261 and $95,039 in national-average dollars, so households in Massachusetts have more purchasing power at the median.
Are more people moving from Massachusetts to New Hampshire or the other way?
In 2024, about 20,310 people moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire and about 11,286 moved from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, according to Census state-to-state migration estimates. That is a net gain of about 9,024 for New Hampshire.
Comparing a different pair? Use the full tool →