State comparison
Delaware vs Maine: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $4,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Maine, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $1,925 a year against $3,744 in Maine.
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 9 categories
Maine
High tax burden · COL index 107
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Maine
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. Maine has a graduated income tax topping out at 7.15%, which works out to 6.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,813 a year. Delaware wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 1.04% in Maine (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $3,744, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 5.50% in Maine.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $9,787 in Maine. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Maine's is 107, where 100 is the national average; Delaware is about 5% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $360K in Maine (Zillow, 2024), a $10K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,500 in Maine.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $900 in Maine, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 109 in Maine (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Maine is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 309% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 1,187 in Maine, again favoring Maine.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 77.8 in Maine (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.2-year edge for Maine. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Maine's 7th, so Maine scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 6.9% in Maine, 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 Maine's 14th, 10 places apart in Maine's favor. Maine 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 Maine went to Harris by 6 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Maine has permitless carry and a grade of B-, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and Maine 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 $14.15 in Maine.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and low in Maine (blizzard, flood), so Maine is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 26 in Maine (under 50 is good), favoring Maine.
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
5
Maine
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Maine better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $9,787); Delaware on everyday costs (index 102 against 107); Maine on safety (109 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Maine on schools (ranked 14th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Maine?
Delaware is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 107. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $360K in Maine (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $4,000 a year.
Does Delaware or Maine 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 $9,787 in Maine ($4,813 income tax, $3,744 property tax on the median home and $1,231 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Maine?
Maine, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 109 in Maine; property crime is 1,827 against 1,187.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Maine?
Maine. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Maine 14th. Maine also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Delaware or Maine 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; Maine does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $3,744 in Maine.