State comparison
California vs Delaware: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $5,100 a year less in state and local taxes than California, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $5,609 in California.
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 3 categories
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: California vs Delaware
California has a graduated income tax topping out at 13.3%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,375 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.71% of home value a year in California and 0.55% in Delaware (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $5,609 against $1,925, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in California.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $10,957 a year in California, $5,831 in Delaware. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
California's cost of living index is 142 and Delaware's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 39% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $790K in California and $350K in Delaware (Zillow, 2024), a $440K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $2,300 a month in California and $1,550 in Delaware.
Home insurance averages $2,100 a year in California and $700 in Delaware, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 499 incidents per 100,000 residents in California and 446 in Delaware (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 12% lower. Property crime is 2,027 per 100,000 in California against 1,827 in Delaware, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.2 years in California and 76.6 in Delaware (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks California's health system 13th of 50 and Delaware's 18th, so California scores better on care.
6.8% of California 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 California's K-12 schools 20th in the country and Delaware's 24th, 4 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election California went to Harris by 20 points and Delaware went to Harris by 8 points.
California has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-, so California regulates guns more tightly and Delaware is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $16.00 an hour in California and $13.25 in Delaware.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought) and moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood), so Delaware is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 62 in California 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
California
11
Delaware
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is California 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 $10,957); Delaware on everyday costs (index 102 against 142); Delaware on safety (446 violent crimes per 100,000 against 499); California on schools (ranked 20th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, California or Delaware?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 142. The median home is $790K in California and $350K in Delaware (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $5,100 a year.
Does California or Delaware have lower taxes?
Delaware. A household earning $74,580 pays about $10,957 a year in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 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, California or Delaware?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 499 per 100,000 residents in California and 446 in Delaware; property crime is 2,027 against 1,827.
Which has better schools, California or Delaware?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks California 20th of 50 for K-12 and Delaware 24th.
Is California or Delaware better for retirees?
Delaware is friendlier to retirees on paper. California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income 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 $5,609 a year in California and $1,925 in Delaware.