State comparison
Arizona vs Delaware: which state is better to live in?
Arizona and Delaware cost a median household almost the same in state and local taxes, $5,879 a year against $5,831, so the choice comes down to housing, safety and schools.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 3 categories
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Delaware
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Delaware has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.6%, which works out to 5.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,906 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 0.55% in Delaware (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $1,925, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $5,831 in Delaware. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Delaware's is 102, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $350K in Delaware (Zillow, 2024), a $70K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $1,550 in Delaware.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $700 in Delaware, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 446 in Delaware (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 6% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 1,827 in Delaware, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 76.6 in Delaware (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.3-year edge for Delaware. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Delaware's 18th, so Delaware scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in Delaware, which favors Delaware. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Delaware's 24th, 21 places apart in Delaware's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Delaware does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Delaware went to Harris by 8 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Delaware, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $13.25 in Delaware.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood). Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 35 in Delaware (under 50 is good), favoring Delaware.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
3
Arizona
9
Delaware
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Delaware better to live in?
Delaware wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $5,879); Delaware on safety (446 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Delaware on schools (ranked 24th against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Delaware?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 102. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $350K in Delaware (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $50 a year.
Does Arizona or Delaware have lower taxes?
Delaware. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $5,831 in Delaware ($3,906 income tax, $1,925 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Delaware?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 446 in Delaware; property crime is 2,624 against 1,827.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Delaware?
Delaware. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Delaware 24th. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Delaware better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $1,925 in Delaware.