Delaware and Maryland at a glance
Moving between Delaware and Maryland changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Delaware leaves $23,506 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Maryland leaves $18,711.
Delaware comes out ahead by $4,794 a year ($400 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 1,021,191 people in 3 counties in Delaware and 6,206,011 people in 24 counties in Maryland.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $2,653 in Delaware and $2,517 in Maryland, which leaves take-home pay of $47,685 and $47,821.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $73,642 in Delaware and $74,484 in Maryland, a difference of $842. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $1,407 a month in Delaware and $1,801 in Maryland, so Delaware is $395 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $2,333 and $2,521, and gasoline $1,532 and $1,539. Together the basics cost $24,180 a year in Delaware and $29,110 in Maryland.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $84,954 in Delaware and $103,678 in Maryland. Homeowners pay a median of $1,768 a year in property tax in Delaware and $4,093 in Maryland. Commuters travel 26.0 minutes each way on average in Delaware and 31.1 in Maryland.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.