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