State profile
Delaware Cost of Living Comparison
Delaware's 2024 price level is 99.808, almost exactly the national level, after rising every year since 2020 when it stood at 96.791.
Updated
99.808Delaware all-items price level, U.S. = 100 · rank 32 of 51, lowest first
| Measure | Delaware | Illinois | First − second |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-items price level | 99.808 | 99.958 | −0.150 points |
| Rent price level | 102.015 | 93.944 | +8.071 points |
| Home value | $352,000±$2,842 | $263,300±$797 | +$88,700 |
| Two-bedroom gross rent | $1,397±$24 | $1,284±$8 | +$113 |
| Household income | $84,954±$1,251 | $83,390±$362 | +$1,564 |
| Real estate taxes paid | $1,768±$20 | $5,298±$22 | −$3,530 |
$4,000 of monthly spending in Delaware scales to $4,006 in Illinois at the 2024 all-items price ratio.
BEA 2024 and ACS 2020–2024; ± marks the Census 90% margin. How to read a gap
Delaware between three very different neighbours
Delaware climbed steadily. Its all-items parity went from 96.791 in 2020 to 97.425, 98.007, 98.759 and finally 99.808 in 2024, a gain of 3.017 points relative to the nation with no year of retreat. The categories are now all near the middle: goods at 96.155 (rank 18), rents at 102.015, utilities at 103.810 and other services at 101.235.
The state government raises money in an unusual way. Census records no state general sales tax and no state property tax in Delaware. License taxes, a Census category that covers business and corporation licences as well as motor-vehicle licences, supplied 38.7% of fiscal 2025 collections, $2,535 per resident, nearly as much as individual income tax at 39.6%. Total collections were $6,557 per resident, rank 9, much of it from sources other than household purchases.
For households, housing is mid-range and property taxes are light. The median home value is $352,000 (rank 22), the two-bedroom gross-rent median $1,397 (rank 20), and the median real estate tax paid $1,768 a year, rank 39. Real per capita personal income of $55,185 ranks 39th, well below the household median's rank of 17; the two measure different things, a price-adjusted average over every resident versus a median household.
The border is where the comparisons get large. New Jersey's price level is 108.805 with rents at 134.292 and a two-bedroom median of $1,804; Maryland sits at 104.959 with a $1,740 median. Pennsylvania runs the other way, at 97.572 overall and 85.068 for rents, with a two-bedroom median of $1,245, or $152 less a month than Delaware. Illinois (99.958) is the closest price level anywhere.
Category price levels in Delaware
| Category | Parity | Rank, low first | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 99.808 | 32 | 0.19% below |
| Goods | 96.155 | 18 | 3.84% below |
| Housing (rents) | 102.015 | 33 | 2.02% above |
| Utilities | 103.810 | 36 | 3.81% above |
| Other services | 101.235 | 35 | 1.23% above |
| Real income per person, 2017 $ | $55,185 | 39 | U.S. $59,195 |
All items by year: 2020 96.791 · 2021 97.425 · 2022 98.007 · 2023 98.759 · 2024 99.808 (+3.017 since 2020). How to read categories and trends
Monthly housing costs
- Owners with a mortgage
- $1,816±$16 · rank 23, high first
- Owners without a mortgage
- $562±$8 · rank 33
- Renters: gross rent / income
- 29.9%±0.6 · rank 21
Delaware state tax collections, FY2025
$6.95 billion in total, $6,557 per resident. Scope of these figures
| Tax | FY2025 | Share | Per resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual income | $2.75 billion | 39.6% | $2,599 |
| General sales | not levied | ||
| Property | not levied | ||
| Motor fuel | $132.7 million | 1.9% | $125 |
| Other selective sales | $540.6 million | 7.8% | $510 |
| Corporate income | $577.3 million | 8.3% | $545 |
| Licenses | $2.69 billion | 38.7% | $2,535 |
| Severance | not levied | ||
| Other taxes | $257.6 million | 3.7% | $243 |
Delaware income tax on wages
Delaware's income tax is graduated: the Division of Revenue gives rates from 2.2% to 5.55% on income under $60,000 and 6.6% on income of $60,000 or more.
Read : Delaware Division of Revenue: personal income tax questions. Price parities exclude income taxes.
Delaware sales tax
Delaware's Gross Receipts Tax is charged to the business on its total gross revenues, not to the shopper. Its rates run from 0.0945% to 1.9914% by business activity, and up to 2.4218% on petroleum products, according to the Division of Revenue.
Delaware beside its neighbours
| Jurisdiction | All items | Rents | Goods | 2BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 99.808 | 102.015 | 96.155 | $1,397 |
| Maryland | 104.959 | 121.079 | 102.524 | $1,740 |
| New Jersey | 108.805 | 134.292 | 107.066 | $1,804 |
| Pennsylvania | 97.572 | 85.068 | 99.357 | $1,245 |
Before you budget a move
A Delaware relocation worksheet should keep purchase-related cash separate from the annual housing budget. A home-value median gives a historical owner-occupied benchmark, while the buyer still needs a listing, lender terms, transfer charges and the anticipated local assessment. None follows automatically from the price index.
For Wilmington or a coastal destination, ask the landlord which services and utilities are included and whether the proposed occupancy covers a full year. The two-bedroom gross-rent statistic describes cash-rent households across the state, not a seasonal accommodation quote or a contract for a specific property.
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