State comparison
Delaware vs New Mexico: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $850 a year less in state and local taxes than New Mexico, mostly because it has no sales tax, though everyday prices run higher there (cost of living index 102 against 91).
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
New Mexico
Moderate tax burden · COL index 91
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs New Mexico
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. New Mexico has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 4.2% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,112 a year. New Mexico wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 0.55% in New Mexico (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $1,815.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.82% in New Mexico.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $6,677 in New Mexico. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and New Mexico's is 91, where 100 is the national average; New Mexico is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $330K in New Mexico (Zillow, 2024), a $20K gap in New Mexico's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,250 in New Mexico.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,600 in New Mexico, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 778 in New Mexico (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Delaware is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 74% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 3,286 in New Mexico, again favoring Delaware.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 74.1 in New Mexico (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.5-year edge for Delaware. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and New Mexico's 49th, so Delaware scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in New Mexico, 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 New Mexico's 46th, 22 places apart in Delaware'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 New Mexico went to Harris by 10 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; New Mexico has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of B-, so Delaware regulates guns more tightly and New Mexico 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 New Mexico.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and high in New Mexico (wildfire, drought, flash-flood), so Delaware is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 44 in New Mexico (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
6
New Mexico
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or New Mexico better to live in?
Delaware wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $6,677); New Mexico on everyday costs (index 91 against 102); Delaware on safety (446 violent crimes per 100,000 against 778); Delaware on schools (ranked 24th against 46th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or New Mexico?
New Mexico is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 91 against 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $330K in New Mexico (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $850 a year.
Does Delaware or New Mexico 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 $6,677 in New Mexico ($3,112 income tax, $1,815 property tax on the median home and $1,750 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or New Mexico?
Delaware, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 778 in New Mexico; property crime is 1,827 against 3,286.
Which has better schools, Delaware or New Mexico?
Delaware. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and New Mexico 46th.
Is Delaware or New Mexico 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; New Mexico does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $1,925 a year in Delaware and $1,815 in New Mexico.