Florida vs Delaware: cost of living compared
Statewide price levels and incomes from BEA (2024); gas prices from EIA (weekly).
Is it cheaper to live in Florida or Delaware?
- Overall, Delaware is 3.5% less expensive than Florida (BEA, 2024).
- To keep the same standard of living, $75,000 in Florida works out to about $72,400 in Delaware, before taxes.
- Most of the difference is housing, which costs 16.5% less in Delaware. Goods are 1.9% lower and other services 0.1% lower.
- Utility prices (electricity, gas, water) are 15.2% higher in Delaware.
- After adjusting for local prices, personal income per person is $55,185 in Delaware and $57,131 in Florida (3.4% lower in Delaware; BEA, 2024, in 2017 dollars).
- Inside each state, metro price levels run 97.5 in Dover, DE, its only metro area (Delaware) and from 85.4 in The Villages, FL to 114.2 in Miami, FL (Florida), US = 100.
- The gap has widened since 2019, when Delaware was 0.8% less expensive than Florida.
derived Calculated from BEA Regional Price Parities and real personal income by state. Statewide averages mix cities and rural areas; taxes are not included. How we calculate.
Category by category
Both states against the US average (100).
Housing drives the gap: 16.5% lower in Delaware than in Florida
Price level by category, 2024. US average = 100.
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.4 | 99.8 |
| Goods | 98.1 | 96.2 |
| Housing (rents) | 122.1 | 102.0 |
| Utilities | 90.1 | 103.8 |
| Other services | 101.3 | 101.2 |
| Category | Florida | Delaware | Delaware vs Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 103.4 | 99.8 | −3.5% |
| Goods | 98.1 | 96.2 | −1.9% |
| Housing (rents) | 122.1 | 102.0 | −16.5% |
| Utilities | 90.1 | 103.8 | +15.2% |
| Other services | 101.3 | 101.2 | −0.1% |
| Income per person, adjusted for prices | $57,131 | $55,185 | −3.4% |
| Regular gas, week of October 19, 2026* | $3.98 | $4.31 | +8.3% |
| Salary to match $75,000 in Florida | $75,000 | $72,400 | −3.5% |
Index values: BEA, 2024, US = 100. Income: BEA real personal income per person, 2017 dollars. Gas: EIA weekly retail prices. *Central Atlantic region average (EIA has no separate Delaware figure).
Cheapest and most expensive places in each state
Florida
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- Sebring, FL 92.5
- Homosassa Springs, FL 93.5
- Tallahassee, FL 93.9
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Sebastian, FL 98.3
- Deltona, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- North Port, FL 102.4
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Miami, FL 114.2
Delaware
- Dover, DE 97.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
Metro areas ordered from cheapest to most expensive. BEA, 2024, US = 100.
How the gap has changed since 2008
The price gap between Florida and Delaware has widened since 2008: 0.9 points then, 3.6 now
Overall price level each year, 2008–2024. US average = 100.
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 101.7 | 100.8 |
| 2009 | 100.5 | 102.1 |
| 2010 | 100.4 | 101.5 |
| 2011 | 100.8 | 100.4 |
| 2012 | 101.1 | 99.6 |
| 2013 | 100.7 | 98.6 |
| 2014 | 100.9 | 99.7 |
| 2015 | 101.3 | 97.9 |
| 2016 | 101.1 | 98.5 |
| 2017 | 100.9 | 98.5 |
| 2018 | 100.3 | 99.3 |
| 2019 | 99.6 | 98.8 |
| 2020 | 100.6 | 96.8 |
| 2021 | 101.4 | 97.4 |
| 2022 | 102.3 | 98.0 |
| 2023 | 103.6 | 98.8 |
| 2024 | 103.4 | 99.8 |
Goods
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.9 | 103.5 |
| 2009 | 97.0 | 101.9 |
| 2010 | 97.3 | 101.5 |
| 2011 | 97.4 | 102.5 |
| 2012 | 98.0 | 99.4 |
| 2013 | 98.6 | 97.1 |
| 2014 | 98.3 | 95.7 |
| 2015 | 97.4 | 97.1 |
| 2016 | 97.5 | 98.6 |
| 2017 | 98.4 | 96.5 |
| 2018 | 97.7 | 96.8 |
| 2019 | 96.1 | 95.7 |
| 2020 | 97.4 | 94.5 |
| 2021 | 98.4 | 94.5 |
| 2022 | 98.0 | 94.6 |
| 2023 | 98.2 | 97.3 |
| 2024 | 98.1 | 96.2 |
Housing (rents)
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 115.1 | 93.7 |
| 2009 | 111.0 | 104.5 |
| 2010 | 108.7 | 99.4 |
| 2011 | 108.2 | 98.2 |
| 2012 | 108.8 | 98.1 |
| 2013 | 107.4 | 98.9 |
| 2014 | 108.2 | 103.9 |
| 2015 | 109.3 | 95.2 |
| 2016 | 109.4 | 94.4 |
| 2017 | 110.5 | 94.7 |
| 2018 | 110.7 | 99.3 |
| 2019 | 112.0 | 96.0 |
| 2020 | 113.6 | 91.9 |
| 2021 | 112.9 | 97.0 |
| 2022 | 116.3 | 99.1 |
| 2023 | 123.2 | 98.9 |
| 2024 | 122.1 | 102.0 |
Utilities
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 98.6 | 111.9 |
| 2009 | 101.2 | 117.7 |
| 2010 | 96.2 | 116.4 |
| 2011 | 95.3 | 117.2 |
| 2012 | 93.5 | 117.3 |
| 2013 | 93.6 | 111.7 |
| 2014 | 95.3 | 105.0 |
| 2015 | 92.4 | 104.0 |
| 2016 | 89.9 | 103.0 |
| 2017 | 87.5 | 102.0 |
| 2018 | 91.1 | 99.5 |
| 2019 | 94.4 | 99.6 |
| 2020 | 89.8 | 98.4 |
| 2021 | 90.0 | 93.5 |
| 2022 | 94.8 | 95.7 |
| 2023 | 93.7 | 104.4 |
| 2024 | 90.1 | 103.8 |
Other services
- Florida
- Delaware
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024 (US = 100).
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.0 | 100.6 |
| 2009 | 99.0 | 100.6 |
| 2010 | 99.8 | 101.5 |
| 2011 | 101.0 | 99.0 |
| 2012 | 100.9 | 99.3 |
| 2013 | 100.3 | 98.9 |
| 2014 | 100.5 | 101.0 |
| 2015 | 101.8 | 99.0 |
| 2016 | 101.3 | 99.5 |
| 2017 | 100.1 | 100.9 |
| 2018 | 99.2 | 100.8 |
| 2019 | 98.3 | 101.7 |
| 2020 | 98.8 | 100.0 |
| 2021 | 100.4 | 99.9 |
| 2022 | 101.2 | 100.1 |
| 2023 | 101.5 | 99.4 |
| 2024 | 101.3 | 101.2 |
What incomes buy in each state
Income per person after adjusting for prices: $55,185 in Delaware, $57,131 in Florida
Real personal income per person, constant 2017 dollars (adjusted for each state's price level and for inflation).
- Florida
- Delaware
- United States
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, real personal income by state (SARPI), 2008–2024.
Show the numbers
| Florida | Delaware | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $43,259 | $45,956 | $45,816 |
| 2009 | $41,209 | $45,289 | $44,204 |
| 2010 | $42,735 | $44,778 | $44,808 |
| 2011 | $43,268 | $47,032 | $45,957 |
| 2012 | $43,189 | $46,566 | $46,796 |
| 2013 | $42,278 | $46,578 | $46,358 |
| 2014 | $43,812 | $46,900 | $47,661 |
| 2015 | $45,693 | $49,667 | $49,396 |
| 2016 | $46,126 | $49,892 | $49,828 |
| 2017 | $48,141 | $50,878 | $51,006 |
| 2018 | $49,935 | $52,109 | $52,242 |
| 2019 | $52,128 | $52,671 | $53,683 |
| 2020 | $53,897 | $54,952 | $56,514 |
| 2021 | $56,789 | $56,509 | $59,365 |
| 2022 | $55,163 | $56,371 | $57,104 |
| 2023 | $56,138 | $54,314 | $58,088 |
| 2024 | $57,131 | $55,185 | $59,195 |
More
- Cost of living in Florida
- Cost of living in Delaware
- Reverse: moving from Delaware to Florida
- All states ranked
Related state comparisons
What this comparison leaves out
- Taxes. State income, sales and property taxes differ a lot between states and are not included.
- Where you live inside the state. Statewide figures average cities and rural areas; the metro lists above show the spread.
- Your own spending mix. The default uses an average household. Use the housing slider if housing is a bigger share of your budget.
- Timing. BEA price levels and incomes are for 2024; gas prices are weekly.