State comparison
Connecticut vs Delaware: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $6,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 5 categories
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Delaware
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 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. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.55% in Delaware (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $1,925, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,843 a year in Connecticut, $5,831 in Delaware. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Delaware's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $350K in Delaware (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,550 in Delaware.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $700 in Delaware, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 446 in Delaware (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 120% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 1,827 in Delaware, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 76.6 in Delaware (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.2-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Delaware's 18th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 6.3% in Delaware, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Delaware's 24th, 21 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and Delaware went to Harris by 8 points.
Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $13.25 in Delaware.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 35 in Delaware (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
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
5
Connecticut
11
Delaware
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Delaware better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $11,843); Delaware on everyday costs (index 102 against 114); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Delaware?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 114. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $350K in Delaware (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $6,000 a year.
Does Connecticut or Delaware have lower taxes?
Delaware. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,843 a year in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 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, Connecticut or Delaware?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 446 in Delaware; property crime is 1,380 against 1,827.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Delaware?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Delaware 24th.
Is Connecticut or Delaware better for retirees?
Delaware is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $1,925 in Delaware.