Moving to Delaware from District of Columbia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from District of Columbia to Delaware — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from District of Columbia to Delaware, you would find that Delaware is 28.8% cheaper than District of Columbia. A $75,000 salary in District of Columbia would need to be roughly $53,400 in Delaware to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from District of Columbia to Delaware.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $53,400
To maintain the same standard of living in Delaware
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 34.1% less
Groceries
pay 22.8% less
Transportation
pay 28.3% less
Housing
pay 31.3% less
Childcare
pay 35.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 33.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from District of Columbia to Delaware.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Delaware performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
District of Columbia performs better than Delaware across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Delaware performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Delaware performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
District of Columbia generally does better on employment & economy, though Delaware leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
District of Columbia performs better than Delaware across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2019–2020). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Washington | Dover |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 75°/54°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 84°/65°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 58°/40°F (15°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Dover |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 43°/27°F (6.3°/-2.7°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 47°/29°F (8.3°/-1.7°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 55°/36°F (12.7°/2.0°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.8°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 75°/54°F (23.7°/12.1°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 87°/68°F (30.6°/20.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 85°/67°F (29.6°/19.4°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 79°/60°F (26.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 69°/49°F (20.4°/9.3°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 58°/40°F (14.7°/4.3°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 47°/31°F (8.6°/-0.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Delaware than District of Columbia?
Yes — Delaware is on average about 29% cheaper than District of Columbia. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Delaware?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $13,350 in Delaware on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Delaware safe?
Delaware performs significantly better than District of Columbia across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Delaware compared to District of Columbia?
District of Columbia performs better than Delaware across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Delaware compared to District of Columbia?
The average high temperature in Dover is 66°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Dover receives around 46.1 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
