Moving to New Hampshire from Washington
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Washington to New Hampshire — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Washington to New Hampshire, you would find that New Hampshire is 3.9% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $72,100 in New Hampshire to maintain the same lifestyle. Seattle and Manchester are about 2,450 mi apart.
Is New Hampshire cheaper than Washington?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 9.2% less
Groceries
pay 4.6% more
Transportation
pay 14.2% less
Housing
pay 3.7% more
Childcare
pay 28.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in New Hampshire?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $72,100
To maintain the same standard of living in New Hampshire
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in New Hampshire cost about 4% less than cities in Washington.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Washington to New Hampshire.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New Hampshire performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Hampshire leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Hampshire performs significantly better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington generally does better on infrastructure, though New Hampshire leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
New Hampshire generally does better on employment & economy, though Washington leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington generally does better on family life, though New Hampshire leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in New Hampshire vs Washington
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Seattle | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/38°F (10°/3°C) | 38°/21°F (4°/-6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 64°/47°F (18°/8°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 74°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/41°F (11°/5°C) | 50°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Seattle | Manchester |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/37°F (8.4°/2.7°C) | 33°/16°F (0.6°/-9.1°C) |
| Feb | 50°/37°F (9.9°/2.7°C) | 37°/19°F (2.7°/-7.2°C) |
| Mar | 54°/39°F (12.1°/4.1°C) | 45°/27°F (7.2°/-2.7°C) |
| Apr | 58°/42°F (14.7°/5.7°C) | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.8°C) |
| May | 65°/47°F (18.2°/8.5°C) | 69°/47°F (20.4°/8.6°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.1°/11.1°C) | 78°/57°F (25.3°/13.7°C) |
| Jul | 76°/56°F (24.3°/13.1°C) | 82°/63°F (28.0°/17.1°C) |
| Aug | 76°/56°F (24.6°/13.3°C) | 81°/61°F (27.2°/16.1°C) |
| Sep | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.2°C) | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.4°C) |
| Oct | 60°/46°F (15.4°/7.7°C) | 61°/41°F (16.1°/4.8°C) |
| Nov | 51°/40°F (10.5°/4.4°C) | 50°/33°F (9.9°/0.6°C) |
| Dec | 46°/36°F (7.6°/2.0°C) | 38°/22°F (3.4°/-5.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Hampshire than Washington?
Yes — New Hampshire is on average about 4% cheaper than Washington. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to New Hampshire?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $18,025 in New Hampshire on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is New Hampshire safe?
New Hampshire performs significantly better than Washington across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Hampshire compared to Washington?
Washington generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Hampshire leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in New Hampshire compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Manchester is 59°F, compared to 60°F in Seattle. Manchester receives around 44.6 in of rainfall per year, while Seattle gets 37.5 in.
