Head-to-head
Massachusetts vs New Hampshire
Massachusetts's 2024 price level is only 1.592 points above New Hampshire's (105.757 vs 104.165), yet the two states raise money in opposite ways: Massachusetts collects $6,454 per resident, New Hampshire $2,383, and New Hampshire owners pay $675 more a year in property tax.
Updated
| Measure | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 105.757 | 104.165 | +1.592 points |
| Rent price level | 128.068 | 114.947 | +13.121 points |
| Home value | $562,100±$2,169 | $402,500±$2,808 | +$159,600 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,876±$15 | $1,642±$21 | +$234 |
| Household income | $103,960±$527 | $99,031±$1,123 | +$4,929 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $5,992±$18 | $6,667±$35 | −$675 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Massachusetts scales to $3,940 in New Hampshire at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: income tax versus property tax
Prices are closer than the tax debate suggests. Goods are almost level (98.820 against 98.578) and New Hampshire's other services are slightly dearer. The differences are rents, 128.068 against 114.947, and utilities, 152.070 against 133.663. A New Hampshire two-bedroom runs $234 a month below the Massachusetts median.
The state budgets diverge completely. Individual income tax supplied 53.0% of Massachusetts's fiscal 2025 collections, $3,423 per resident. New Hampshire repealed its income-tax chapter, RSA 77, effective January 1, 2025, and has no general sales tax; its largest sources were corporate taxes (32.9%) and other selective sales (25.6%). Changing ordinary income-tax treatment does not shift a whole household budget by that amount, though, because New Hampshire towns rely on property tax: the median owner pays $6,667 a year there against $5,992 in Massachusetts, on a median home worth $402,500 rather than $562,100.
Owners with a mortgage still pay more in Massachusetts, a median $2,726 a month against $2,367; owners without a mortgage pay nearly the same, $1,043 and $995.
Massachusetts leads on income by $4,929 at the household median and by $6,997 per person after the price adjustment.
For someone who keeps a Massachusetts job, the commute and the work-state tax return both stay in the budget. Renters should compare two-bedroom listings near the actual job rather than borrow owner assumptions.
Price levels by category
| Measure | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 105.757 | 104.165 | +1.592 |
| Goods | 98.820 | 98.578 | +0.242 |
| Housing (rents) | 128.068 | 114.947 | +13.121 |
| Utilities | 152.070 | 133.663 | +18.407 |
| Other services | 102.852 | 103.879 | −1.027 |
| Real income per person (2017 $) | $71,629 | $64,632 | +$6,997 |
Two state tax mixes, FY2025
Massachusetts: $46.17 billion, $6,454 per resident. New Hampshire: $3.37 billion, $2,383 per resident.
| Tax | MA share | NH share | MA per resident | NH per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | 53.0% | 2.7% | $3,423 | $64 |
| General sales | 21.0% | not levied | $1,358 | — |
| Property | 0.0% | 12.3% | $2 | $292 |
| Motor fuel | 1.5% | 5.6% | $99 | $133 |
| Other selective sales | 4.9% | 25.6% | $317 | $609 |
| Corporate income | 13.8% | 32.9% | $889 | $785 |
| Licenses | 3.2% | 15.0% | $209 | $356 |
| Severance | not levied | not levied | — | — |
| Other taxes | 2.4% | 6.0% | $157 | $143 |
Taxes on wages and purchases
| Tax | Massachusetts | New Hampshire |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax | 5% on wages, plus 4% above an indexed $1,000,000 | income-tax chapter RSA 77 repealed January 1, 2025 |
| State sales tax | 6.25% | Not summarised on this site; see the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration |
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