Moving to Delaware from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to Delaware — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware, you would find that Delaware is 5.2% more expensive than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $77,855 in Delaware to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Pennsylvania to Delaware.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,855
To maintain the same standard of living in Delaware
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 1.3% more
Groceries
pay 5.1% less
Transportation
pay 10.5% less
Housing
pay 6.6% more
Childcare
pay 25.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.2% more
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 Pennsylvania to Delaware.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania performs better than Delaware 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
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Delaware leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Pennsylvania generally does better on what about housing?, though Delaware leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Delaware performs significantly better than Pennsylvania 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
Delaware generally does better on employment & economy, though Pennsylvania leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Pennsylvania performs better than Delaware across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Harrisburg | Dover |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/25°F (5°/-4°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/50°F (22°/10°C) | 75°/54°F (24°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/61°F (27°/16°C) | 84°/65°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 52°/34°F (11°/1°C) | 58°/40°F (15°/4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Harrisburg | Dover |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/21°F (2.5°/-5.9°C) | 43°/27°F (6.3°/-2.7°C) |
| Feb | 40°/23°F (4.4°/-5.1°C) | 47°/29°F (8.3°/-1.7°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.3°/-0.9°C) | 55°/36°F (12.7°/2.0°C) |
| Apr | 61°/40°F (16.1°/4.6°C) | 66°/44°F (18.7°/6.8°C) |
| May | 72°/50°F (22.2°/10.1°C) | 75°/54°F (23.7°/12.1°C) |
| Jun | 81°/60°F (27.2°/15.5°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.4°C) |
| Jul | 85°/64°F (29.2°/17.8°C) | 87°/68°F (30.6°/20.2°C) |
| Aug | 83°/63°F (28.2°/17.0°C) | 85°/67°F (29.6°/19.4°C) |
| Sep | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.8°C) | 79°/60°F (26.3°/15.6°C) |
| Oct | 63°/42°F (17.4°/5.6°C) | 69°/49°F (20.4°/9.3°C) |
| Nov | 52°/35°F (11.1°/1.6°C) | 58°/40°F (14.7°/4.3°C) |
| Dec | 40°/26°F (4.4°/-3.2°C) | 47°/31°F (8.6°/-0.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Delaware than Pennsylvania?
No — Delaware is on average about 4% more expensive than Pennsylvania. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Delaware?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,464 in Delaware on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Delaware safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Delaware across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Delaware compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Delaware leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Delaware compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Dover is 66°F, compared to 61°F in Harrisburg. Dover receives around 46.1 in of rainfall per year, while Harrisburg gets 43.6 in.
