State comparison
Delaware vs California: 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.
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
California
Moderate tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 3 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs California
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 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. California wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 0.71% in California (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $5,609, 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: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $10,957 in California. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and California's is 142, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 39% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $790K in California (Zillow, 2024), a $440K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $2,300 in California.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $2,100 in California, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 499 in California (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 12% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 2,027 in California, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 79.2 in California (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.6-year edge for California. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and California's 13th, so California scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 6.8% in California, 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 California's 20th, 4 places apart in California's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Delaware went to Harris by 8 points and California went to Harris by 20 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; California 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 $13.25 an hour in Delaware and $16.00 in California.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and very high in California (wildfire, earthquake, drought), so Delaware is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 62 in California (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
11
Delaware
3
California
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or California 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, Delaware or California?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 142. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $790K in California (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $5,100 a year.
Does Delaware or California 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 $10,957 in California ($3,375 income tax, $5,609 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or California?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 499 in California; property crime is 1,827 against 2,027.
Which has better schools, Delaware or California?
California. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and California 20th.
Is Delaware or California better for retirees?
Delaware is friendlier to retirees on paper. Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; California does not tax Social Security, taxes pensions as income and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $5,609 in California.