State comparison
Delaware vs Illinois: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $4,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Illinois, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $4,758 in Illinois, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 92).
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Illinois
High tax burden · COL index 92
Wins 7 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Illinois
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. Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,692 a year. Illinois wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 1.73% in Illinois (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $4,758, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.82% in Illinois.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $10,423 in Illinois. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Illinois's is 92, where 100 is the national average; Illinois is about 11% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $275K in Illinois (Zillow, 2024), a $75K gap in Illinois's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,400 in Illinois.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,900 in Illinois, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 413 in Illinois (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Illinois is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 8% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 1,666 in Illinois, again favoring Illinois.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 77.2 in Illinois (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 0.6-year edge for Illinois. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Illinois's 20th, so Delaware scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 7.4% in Illinois, 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 Illinois's 16th, 8 places apart in Illinois'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 Illinois went to Harris by 14 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Illinois has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Illinois 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 $14.00 in Illinois.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Illinois (tornado, flood, blizzard). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 45 in Illinois (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
7
Delaware
7
Illinois
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Illinois better to live in?
Illinois wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $10,423); Illinois on everyday costs (index 92 against 102); Illinois on safety (413 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Illinois on schools (ranked 16th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Illinois?
Illinois is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 92 against 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $275K in Illinois (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $4,600 a year.
Does Delaware or Illinois 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 $10,423 in Illinois ($3,692 income tax, $4,758 property tax on the median home and $1,973 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Illinois?
Illinois, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 413 in Illinois; property crime is 1,827 against 1,666.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Illinois?
Illinois. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Illinois 16th.
Is Delaware or Illinois 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; Illinois does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $4,758 in Illinois.