What "No Taxes" Really Means in Concord, NH

New Hampshire is famous for having no income or sales tax, but the full picture is more interesting, and in Concord the town you choose can change your tax bill by thousands a year.

You may have heard that New Hampshire has no taxes. Which we don't, except for when we do.

The phrase "the New Hampshire advantage" refers to our reputation for having no personal income tax, no general sales tax, and no inheritance tax. We used to have an interest and dividends tax, and even that was completely repealed at the start of 2025. So we really are pretty close to tax-free.

But that raises an obvious question. How does New Hampshire pay the bills? If you own real estate, you have probably already figured out where most of the money comes from.

Property tax is the big one, and it varies a lot by town. This is the single most important thing to understand before you move here, because property taxes can swing widely from one town to the next. When you're deciding where to live, researching the tax rate of the specific town you're moving to is just as important as the house itself. Take Concord as an example. The average home is assessed at around $350,000, and annual property taxes on that home now run a little over $10,000. And unfortunately, many communities are raising their rates for next year.

"New Hampshire really doesn't have many taxes. But we do know how to make the most of the ones we do."

There's a transfer tax when property changes hands. If you buy or sell real estate in New Hampshire, you'll also run into a real estate transfer tax at the time of the sale. Sometimes it's called a tax stamp. It's 1.5% of the purchase price, split evenly, so the buyer pays half and the seller pays half.

You'll see a few other taxes day to day. If you eat out or stay at a hotel, there's a rooms and meals tax of 8.5% on the total, and things like car rentals carry an additional tax, too. Here's one we actually count as an advantage. A lot of states put a "sin tax" on things like cigarettes and alcohol. New Hampshire technically taxes alcohol, but it's a tiny amount and only at the wholesale level, so there's no retail tax on it at all. The prices are low enough that you'll see out-of-state plates in the parking lot of just about every liquor store.

Then there are the fees. They're not technically taxes, but they go to the state and help pay the bills just the same. Your vehicle registration is a fee. So are professional licensing fees. And depending on where you're driving, you may hit road tolls on some of the state's turnpikes.

So you may have noticed we really don't have many taxes in New Hampshire. But we do know how to make the most of the ones we do have. The takeaway isn't that New Hampshire is expensive, because for most people moving here, it's still a financial win. The takeaway is that the savings aren't automatic, and the town you pick is what determines how much of the New Hampshire advantage you actually get to keep.

If you're thinking about a move and want to understand what living in Concord or anywhere in the area really looks like once the numbers are on the table, we'd love to help you figure out where you fit best. Reach out to our team at (603) 557-6661, email us at ryan@hvizdateam.com, or visit hvizdateam.com.