Moving from Maine to Delaware
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Maine and Delaware, side by side.
Moving to Delaware costs about
About the same
Maine and Delaware work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Housing (median rent) is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Maine to Delaware, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $262 a month more, which is most of the whole difference.
Maine vs Delaware at a glance
| Maine | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $296,600 | $352,000 |
| Median rent | $1,139/mo | $1,401/mo |
| State income tax | Up to 7.15% | Up to 6.60% |
| Property tax rate | 1.02% | 0.50% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 97 | 96 |
| Utilities | 135 | 104 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | ME | DE | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,139 | $1,401 | +$262 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $354 | $337 | -$17 |
| Local income tax (state average) | None | $11 | +$11 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $86 | $0 | -$86 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,781 | $1,763 | -$19 |
| Utilities | $552 | $424 | -$128 |
| Total | +$20 | ||
What the move itself costs
$1,900 to $4,300
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $500 to $700, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. Portland is not Maine-average and Dover is not Delaware-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.