New Hampshire has no broad income tax and no general sales tax, and property tax fills the gap. Towns and cities assess homes, and each bill combines the town’s own rate, the local school rate, the county rate and the statewide education property tax. Because schools are funded mostly through property tax, the gap between a property-rich town and a neighboring one can be large.
Each municipality must revalue at least once every five years, and the Department of Revenue Administration equalizes assessments between revaluations so that state aid and the county share are spread fairly. The equalization ratio published for each town shows how close its assessments are to market value, which helps when comparing bills across a town line.
Relief is local. Towns choose the size of their elderly exemption, disabled exemption and veterans’ credit, within limits set by state law, and residents apply to the selectmen or assessing office by the spring deadline. Owners of modest means can also apply to the state for a low and moderate income homeowners property tax relief payment.
At closing, the real estate transfer tax is paid in equal shares by the buyer and the seller. Many towns bill twice a year, in early summer and late autumn, with the first bill an estimate and the second adjusted once the rate is set. Land in current use, such as farm fields and woodland, is taxed on its use value, with a land use change tax charged if it is developed. Buyers in rural towns should also budget for wells, septic systems and private road maintenance.
Property tax in New Hampshire
The median New Hampshire homeowner pays $6,667 a year in property tax on a home valued at $402,500, an effective rate of 1.6564% in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). That ranks the fourth highest of the 50 states and DC, above the middle state's 0.8003%. At that rate each $100,000 of home value carries about $1,656 a year of tax, or $138.03 a month in the payment, and that rate is what the calculator above starts from.
Inside New Hampshire the rate more than doubles from the cheapest county to the dearest. Among counties whose survey figures pass both quality checks, the effective rate runs from 0.9895% in Carroll County to 2.1592% in Cheshire County. On a $402,500 home that gap is worth about $4,708 a year. Pick a county in the calculator to use its rate, or type the rate from a listing or a current tax bill.
A high effective rate in New Hampshire reflects what owners actually pay after exemptions and caps, so the rate in the calculator is the one that matters for a budget, not any rate printed in New Hampshire law. Ask for the seller's latest bill and the assessed value too, since a new owner's assessment can differ from the long-held homes behind the median.
New Hampshire property tax rates by county
All 10 counties, sorted from the highest effective rate to the lowest. The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value, from the ACS 5-year 2020-2024 survey (figures to December 31, 2024). None of them carries a quality flag, so the calculator uses the figure of whichever county you pick.
| County | Effective rate | Median home value | Median tax a year | Survey | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire County | 2.1592% | $280,100 | $6,048 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Sullivan County | 2.1422% | $268,700 | $5,756 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Coos County | 1.8947% | $188,900 | $3,579 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Strafford County | 1.849% | $362,800 | $6,708 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Merrimack County | 1.8452% | $367,600 | $6,783 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Grafton County | 1.7199% | $344,500 | $5,925 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Hillsborough County | 1.6621% | $421,100 | $6,999 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Rockingham County | 1.5757% | $497,500 | $7,839 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Belknap County | 1.3134% | $374,900 | $4,924 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Carroll County | 0.9895% | $388,900 | $3,848 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
Worked example: the median New Hampshire home
The median owner-occupied home in New Hampshire is valued at $402,500 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). Put $80,500 down, enough to keep the loan at 80% of the price so no PMI is charged, and borrow the rest over 30 years at 7.4%, the Freddie Mac average for the week of October 15, 2026. Insurance is the calculator's default of $1,500 a year, the same figure on every state page and 4.3% of this payment; real premiums vary widely from state to state and with a home's exposure to wind, flood and wildfire, so replace it with a premium for the New Hampshire home you are pricing.
| Line | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $2,229.46 | $26,753.52 |
| Property tax | $555.58 | $6,666.96 |
| Homeowners insurance | $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Private mortgage insurance | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total payment | $2,910.04 | $34,920.48 |
Principal and interest dominate the bill; tax and insurance, usually collected through escrow, add $680.58 a month, 23.4% of the total. Over the full term the $322,000 loan costs $480,610 in interest.
With $40,250 down instead, the loan grows to $362,250 and PMI of $150.94 a month is added, for a first payment of $3,339.67. On the regular schedule the PMI stops after 10 years, with the payment in October 2036. A 15-year loan at the 6.71% average, with the larger down payment, raises the monthly figure to $3,522.85 but cuts the interest to $189,609.
What the median New Hampshire wage can buy
The median annual wage in New Hampshire is $55,880 (BLS wage survey, May 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, that leaves about $3,923 a month after federal and New Hampshire paycheck deductions. With $60,000 saved for a down payment and $400 a month of other debts, the home affordability calculator's default 28/36 rule gives this range at 7.4% and the New Hampshire property tax rate:
| Level | Home price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $104,919 | $581 |
| Target | $188,681 | $1,276 |
| Stretch | $227,934 | $1,602 |
Here the limit is total debt: the housing payment plus the other $400 a month reaches 36% of gross pay first. The target falls $213,819 short of the $402,500 median home value: the median home costs 7.2 times the median wage, so a typical New Hampshire purchase usually needs a second income, a larger down payment or a cheaper area.
Living costs add to the squeeze: everyday prices in New Hampshire, rent included, run 4.2% above the national average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parities for 2024 (figures to December 31, 2024). That shrinks the median wage to about $53,646 in national dollars.
New Hampshire mortgage questions
What is the mortgage payment on the median home in New Hampshire?
The median New Hampshire home is valued at $402,500 in the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year 2020-2024 figures. With $80,500 down and a 30-year loan at the 7.4% weekly average, the payment is $2,910.04 a month: $2,229.46 of principal and interest, $555.58 of property tax and $125.00 of insurance.
What is the property tax rate in New Hampshire?
Homeowners in New Hampshire pay a median of $6,667 a year on a median home value of $402,500, an effective rate of 1.6564%. That is the fourth highest of the 50 states and DC. It is a measure of what owners actually pay, not a rate set in law, and a new purchase can be taxed differently.
Which New Hampshire county has the highest property tax rate?
Among counties with reliable survey figures, Cheshire County has the highest effective rate at 2.1592% and Carroll County the lowest at 0.9895%. On the $402,500 median home, that gap is about $4,708 a year.
How much house can I afford on the median New Hampshire wage?
On the median wage of $55,880, take-home pay is about $3,923 a month. With $60,000 down and $400 a month of other debts, the 28/36 rule points to a home of about $188,681, against a median home value of $402,500.
Does a smaller down payment change the New Hampshire payment much?
With $40,250 down on the same home the loan is larger and private mortgage insurance is added, so the payment starts at $3,339.67 a month, $150.94 of it PMI. The PMI stops once the scheduled balance reaches 78% of the original value.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), tables B25103 and B25077
- Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States [MORTGAGE30US], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, removing PMI
Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac weekly averages as of . Property tax rates: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2020-2024 as of . Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 as of . How we calculate.