$18 an Hour in New Hampshire — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $18/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $37,440. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare (New Hampshire has no state income tax), your take-home pay is $15.51/hr. In New Hampshire's high cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in New Hampshire.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$32,263
Net Monthly
$2,689
Net Hourly
$15.51

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $2.49 $15.51
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $19.91 $124.09
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $99.56 $620.44
Biweekly $1,440.00 $199.11 $1,240.89
Monthly $3,120.00 $431.41 $2,688.59
Annual $37,440 $5,177 $32,263

Full Tax Breakdown — New Hampshire, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $18/hr × 2,080 hrs $37,440
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $21,340
Federal Income Tax 6.2% −$2,312.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,321.28
Medicare (1.45%) −$542.88
New Hampshire State Income Tax No state income tax $0.00
Total Tax 13.8% effective −$5,176.96
Net Take-Home $32,263

How Does New Hampshire Compare?

See how $18/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$18/hr = $37,440/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in New Hampshire

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in New Hampshire

✗ Difficult — $18/hr falls short in New Hampshire
  • Avg 1BR rent in Manchester: $1,500/mo — over the 30% rule (48% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in New Hampshire: $50,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $32,263 ($17,737 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$15.1/hr

Working at $18/hr in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's tax-free wage and sales-tax-free environment make this one of the strongest net take-home positions in the Northeast. A worker earning $25/hr in Manchester takes home meaningfully more than the same worker in Massachusetts. The Boston metro job market is accessible for those willing to commute.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 97 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Manchester (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 2.5x New Hampshire's federal minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in New Hampshire is 13.8% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7% (no New Hampshire state income tax).

New Hampshire's economy benefits from its proximity to Boston — many residents commute to Massachusetts while living in a lower-tax state. Healthcare, manufacturing, tourism, and finance are major sectors. The state has consistently low unemployment.

New Hampshire has no tax on wages or salaries — completely eliminated. It also has no sales tax. The combination makes New Hampshire the lowest-tax state in the Northeast by a significant margin. (Investment income is still taxed at 3%, phasing out.)

New Hampshire follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in New Hampshire

Based on $2,689/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for New Hampshire's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,500 $18,000 55.8%
Food (groceries + dining) $323 $3,876 12.0%
Transportation $269 $3,228 10.0%
Utilities $161 $1,932 6.0%
Healthcare $134 $1,608 5.0%
Entertainment $134 $1,608 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $269 $3,228 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $-101 $-1,212 -3.8%

⚠ This budget is underwater — rent alone exceeds the 30% guideline in New Hampshire at $18/hr. Consider roommates, lower-cost areas, or targeting a higher wage to reach balance.

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in New Hampshire

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in New Hampshire. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~13.5%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $117 $5,850
10 hrs/week $270 $234 $11,700
20 hrs/week $540 $467 $23,350

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $18/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $15.51 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.8 hrs 3.3 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.7 hrs 7.8 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 51.6 hrs
1 month rent (Manchester) $1,500 83.4 hrs 96.8 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 644.8 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3094.6 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

18 an hour -- is it a good wage in New Hampshire?

18/hr in New Hampshire gives you $32,263/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in New Hampshire. Avg 1BR rent in Manchester: $1,500/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in New Hampshire?

18/hr in New Hampshire = $32,263/year or $2,689/month net. Effective rate: 13.8%.

How does 18/hr go further -- New Hampshire or Texas?

18/hr in New Hampshire has similar purchasing power to ~15.1/hr in Texas.

What does 18/hr look like as a monthly budget in New Hampshire?

On $2,689/month in New Hampshire: rent $1,500, food $323, transport $269, savings $269, surplus ~$0.

How much does overtime add at 18/hr in New Hampshire?

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,850/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,700/year.