State comparison
Delaware vs Virginia: which state is better to live in?
Delaware costs a median household about $2,400 a year less in state and local taxes than Virginia, mostly because it has no sales tax.
Delaware
Low tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Virginia
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 6 categories
Taxes: Delaware vs Virginia
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. Virginia has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75%, which works out to 5.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $4,031 a year. Delaware wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.55% of home value a year in Delaware and 0.74% in Virginia (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $1,925 against $2,886, so Delaware has the lower rate.
Delaware has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 5.73% in Virginia.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,831 a year in Delaware, $8,199 in Virginia. Delaware is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Delaware's cost of living index is 102 and Virginia's is 102, where 100 is the national average; the two are level.
The median home costs $350K in Delaware and $390K in Virginia (Zillow, 2024), a $40K gap in Delaware's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month in Delaware and $1,700 in Virginia.
Home insurance averages $700 a year in Delaware and $1,200 in Virginia, so Delaware is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 446 incidents per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 197 in Virginia (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Virginia is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 126% lower. Property crime is 1,827 per 100,000 in Delaware against 1,617 in Virginia, again favoring Virginia.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.6 years in Delaware and 77.9 in Virginia (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.3-year edge for Virginia. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Delaware's health system 18th of 50 and Virginia's 16th, so Virginia scores better on care.
6.3% of Delaware residents have no health insurance against 8.1% in Virginia, 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 Virginia's 10th, 14 places apart in Virginia'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 Virginia went to Harris by 3 points.
Delaware has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Virginia has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A-.
Abortion is protected by state law in Delaware and legal with limits in Virginia, 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 Virginia.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Delaware (hurricane, flood) and moderate in Virginia (hurricane, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 35 in Delaware and 37 in Virginia (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
Virginia
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Delaware or Virginia better to live in?
Virginia wins more of the measures that decide a move. Delaware on taxes ($5,831 a year for a median household against $8,199); Virginia on safety (197 violent crimes per 100,000 against 446); Virginia on schools (ranked 10th against 24th).
Which is cheaper, Delaware or Virginia?
Day-to-day costs are level: both states sit at a cost of living index of 102. The median home is $350K in Delaware and $390K in Virginia (2024). On state and local taxes Delaware saves a median household about $2,400 a year.
Does Delaware or Virginia 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 $8,199 in Virginia ($4,031 income tax, $2,886 property tax on the median home and $1,282 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Delaware or Virginia?
Virginia, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 446 per 100,000 residents in Delaware and 197 in Virginia; property crime is 1,827 against 1,617.
Which has better schools, Delaware or Virginia?
Virginia. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Delaware 24th of 50 for K-12 and Virginia 10th.
Is Delaware or Virginia 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; Virginia 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 $2,886 in Virginia.