State comparison
Delaware vs Iowa: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $1,600 a year less in state and local taxes than Iowa, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 88).
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 4 categories
Iowa
Moderate tax burden · COL index 88
Wins 10 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Iowa
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. Iowa has a flat 3.8% income tax, which works out to 3.8% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,834 a year. Iowa wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 1.42% in Iowa (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $3,053, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 6.94% in Iowa.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $7,440 in Iowa. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Iowa's is 88, where 100 is the national average; Iowa is about 16% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $215K in Iowa (Zillow, 2024), a $135K gap in Iowa's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,050 in Iowa.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,700 in Iowa, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 284 in Iowa (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Iowa is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 57% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 1,626 in Iowa, again favoring Iowa.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 78 in Iowa (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.4-year edge for Iowa. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Iowa's 21st, so Delaware scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 5.8% in Iowa, which favors Iowa. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware's K-12 schools 24th in the country and Iowa's 15th, 9 places apart in Iowa's favor. Iowa 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 Iowa went to Trump by 13 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Iowa has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and Iowa is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Delaware and banned with narrow exceptions in Iowa, and marijuana is legal for adults in Delaware and medical only in Iowa as of 2026. The minimum wage is $13.25 an hour in Delaware and $7.25 in Iowa.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and high in Iowa (tornado, flood, blizzard), so Delaware is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 34 in Iowa (under 50 is good), favoring Iowa.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at rates in force as of 2026-09-04. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
4
Delaware
10
Iowa
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Iowa better to live in?
Iowa wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $7,440); Iowa on everyday costs (index 88 against 102); Iowa on safety (284 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Iowa on schools (ranked 15th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Iowa?
Iowa is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 88 against 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $215K in Iowa (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $1,600 a year.
Does Delaware or Iowa 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 $7,440 in Iowa ($2,834 income tax, $3,053 property tax on the median home and $1,553 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Iowa?
Iowa, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 284 in Iowa; property crime is 1,827 against 1,626.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Iowa?
Iowa. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Iowa 15th. Iowa also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Delaware or Iowa better for retirees?
Iowa is friendlier to retirees on paper. Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Iowa does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $3,053 in Iowa.