State comparison
Colorado vs Delaware: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $1,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because it has no sales tax.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 6 categories
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Delaware
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 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. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.55% in Delaware (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $1,925, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $5,831 in Delaware. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Delaware's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 8% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $350K in Delaware (Zillow, 2024), a $195K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,550 in Delaware.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $700 in Delaware, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 446 in Delaware (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 2% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 1,827 in Delaware, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 76.6 in Delaware (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.2-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Delaware's 18th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado 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 Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Delaware's 24th, 15 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Delaware went to Harris by 8 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a grade of A-.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $13.25 in Delaware.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood), so Delaware is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado 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
6
Colorado
9
Delaware
Run the full slider tool to score these states against your specific income, home value, retirement, and lifestyle priorities.
Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado 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 $7,634); Delaware on everyday costs (index 102 against 110); Delaware on safety (446 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Delaware?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $350K in Delaware (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $1,800 a year.
Does Colorado or Delaware have lower taxes?
Delaware. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 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, Colorado or Delaware?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 446 in Delaware; property crime is 2,859 against 1,827.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Delaware?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Delaware 24th.
Is Colorado or Delaware better for retirees?
Delaware is friendlier to retirees on paper. Colorado taxes 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 $2,616 a year in Colorado and $1,925 in Delaware.