I spend a great deal of time in the northeast. Vermont and NH are not busy like CT, Mass., NJ & NY plus taxes and real estate are lower but salaries reflect that. NH is nice because there is no state sales tax and they do not tax your pensions but property taxes and auto registrations tend to be on the high side, they have to get their money from somewhere.
As for guns, if you do not have a gun when you enter Vt. they will assign you one, very relaxed gun laws. It appears that many open carry in NH. I see it in many restaurants when I'm eating there. I would hate to be a waiter and screw up an order.
Both NH and VT are a little shy regarding work but good honest dependent labor people are hard to find and people will hire you if you can repair things. If you can get a CDL license, there are bus driving and logging jobs.
In both those states you will need to research the specific schools in particular towns for substance abuse. Do your homework regarding that.