Delaware and Pennsylvania at a glance
Moving between Delaware and Pennsylvania changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Delaware leaves $23,506 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Pennsylvania leaves $25,997.
Pennsylvania comes out ahead by $2,491 a year ($208 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 13,018,639 people in 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
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 $1,842 in Pennsylvania, which leaves take-home pay of $47,685 and $48,497.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $73,642 in Delaware and $75,831 in Pennsylvania, a difference of $2,189. 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 $1,257 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is $150 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 $2,412, and gasoline $1,532 and $1,573. Together the basics cost $24,180 a year in Delaware and $22,500 in Pennsylvania.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $84,954 in Delaware and $77,971 in Pennsylvania. Homeowners pay a median of $1,768 a year in property tax in Delaware and $3,311 in Pennsylvania. Commuters travel 26.0 minutes each way on average in Delaware and 26.3 in Pennsylvania.
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.