State comparison
Delaware vs Connecticut: 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.
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 11 categories
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Connecticut
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 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. Connecticut wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 1.79% in Connecticut (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $7,071, 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: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $11,843 in Connecticut. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Connecticut's is 114, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $395K in Connecticut (Zillow, 2024), a $45K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,800 in Connecticut.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,600 in Connecticut, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 203 in Connecticut (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 120% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 1,380 in Connecticut, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 79.8 in Connecticut (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.2-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Connecticut's 3rd, so Connecticut scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 5.9% in Connecticut, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware's K-12 schools 24th in the country and Connecticut's 3rd, 21 places apart in Connecticut'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 Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Connecticut 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 $13.25 an hour in Delaware and $15.69 in Connecticut.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 32 in Connecticut (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
11
Delaware
5
Connecticut
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Connecticut 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, Delaware or Connecticut?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 114. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $395K in Connecticut (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $6,000 a year.
Does Delaware or Connecticut 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 $11,843 in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Connecticut?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 203 in Connecticut; property crime is 1,827 against 1,380.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Connecticut?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Connecticut 3rd.
Is Delaware or Connecticut 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; Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $7,071 in Connecticut.