State comparison
Delaware vs Nevada: which state is better to live in?
Nevada costs a median household about $1,800 a year less in state and local taxes than Delaware, mostly because it has no income tax.
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 8 categories
Nevada
Low tax burden · COL index 101
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Nevada
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. Nevada has no state income tax. Nevada wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 0.53% in Nevada (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $2,200, so Nevada has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23% in Nevada.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $4,041 in Nevada. Nevada is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Nevada's is 101, where 100 is the national average; Nevada is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $415K in Nevada (Zillow, 2024), a $65K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,550 in Nevada.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $800 in Nevada, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 595 in Nevada (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 33% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 2,634 in Nevada, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 75.5 in Nevada (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.1-year edge for Delaware. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Nevada's 35th, so Delaware scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 10.6% in Nevada, 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 Nevada's 48th, 24 places apart in Delaware's favor. Nevada 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 Nevada went to Trump by 3 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Nevada has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C+, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and Nevada 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 $12.00 in Nevada.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Nevada (drought, wildfire, extreme-heat). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 40 in Nevada (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
8
Delaware
6
Nevada
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Nevada better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Nevada on taxes ($4,041 a year for a median household against $5,831); Nevada on everyday costs (index 101 against 102); Delaware on safety (446 violent crimes per 100,000 against 595); Delaware on schools (ranked 24th against 48th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Nevada?
Nevada is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 101 against 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $415K in Nevada (2024). On state and local taxes Nevada saves a median household about $1,800 a year.
Does Delaware or Nevada have lower taxes?
Nevada. 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 $4,041 in Nevada ($0 income tax, $2,200 property tax on the median home and $1,841 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Nevada?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 595 in Nevada; property crime is 1,827 against 2,634.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Nevada?
Delaware. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Nevada 48th. Nevada also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Delaware or Nevada better for retirees?
Nevada is friendlier to retirees on paper. Delaware does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Nevada 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 $2,200 in Nevada.