Moving from Delaware to Maine
Moving to Maine on the same salary slightly raises your real buying power (+3.0%); about $86,800 there would match what you have now. Change the salary below to see your own numbers.
The salary comparison above is for W-2 earnings. Your retirement income and budget results appear in the calculator below.
State-median gross rent (2024 ACS): $1,530/month in Delaware and $1,210/month in Maine. These are state benchmarks, not current rental quotes or your own housing costs. Compare your salary offer, housing and moving-cost recovery using the personal-budget option in the calculator.
Equal salary in ME: $86,800
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $86,800 in Maine to match $90,000 in Delaware ($3,200 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
The renter figure uses ACS gross rent, which includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels. The buyer figure adds electricity separately to mortgage, property tax and insurance. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. These are selected-cost changes, not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $90,000 | Delaware | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $10,970 | $10,970 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $6,885 | $6,885 |
| State income tax | $4,599 | $4,414 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $360 | $450 |
| Take-home pay | $67,186 | $67,281 |
Key facts: Delaware to Maine
- Median rent
- $1,530 → $1,210/mo
- Median home value
- $371,600 → $341,900
- Price level (U.S. = 100)
- 99.8 → 97.0
- Road distance
- ≈ 530 miles
- Natural hazard risk (FEMA)
- Very high county-score mean → High county-score mean
What changes when you move to Maine
- State taxes are similar: the difference is under $250 a year at $90,000.
- Keeping a remote job with a Delaware employer? Delaware can still tax those wages under its convenience-of-the-employer rule unless your employer requires you to work elsewhere. See taxes the year you move.
- BEA's housing rents price index is 23% lower in Maine. Median rent goes from $1,530 to $1,210 a month and the median home value from $371,600 to $341,900.
- Homeowners pay more property tax: the median bill is $3,103 in Maine vs $1,750 in Delaware.
- The average home electric bill is $148 a month in Maine vs $158 in Delaware (EIA 2025), about $122 a year less.
Who moves from Delaware to Maine
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 62 households (106 people) filed their taxes in Maine after filing in Delaware the year before. That makes Maine the #30 destination for people leaving Delaware. These households reported an average adjusted gross income of $65,194. Going the other way, 56 households moved from Maine to Delaware, a net gain of 6 households for Maine.
Five-year trend
Moves from Delaware to Maine peaked in 2021–22 at 69 households, then fell 10% by 2022–23. That is still up 24% from 2018–19.
Source: IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23.
Cost to move from Delaware to Maine
Moving cost: $480–$6,980
Moving about 530 miles from Delaware to Maine costs roughly $480 – $6,980, depending on how much of the work you hire out.
Distance between the states' population centers by road (estimate).
| Moving method | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Rental truck (DIY) Truck rental, taxes and fees. Add fuel, damage coverage, lodging and your time. | $480 – $1,590 |
| Moving container You pack and load; the company drives the container. | $1,280 – $2,760 |
| Full-service movers Loading, transport and unloading. Packing, storage and other extra services may cost more; confirm the written estimate. | $2,120 – $6,980 |
These ranges are based on summer (peak-season) quotes. A move between October and April usually costs less: peak prices run 20–30% higher.
A rental truck also burns about 53 gallons of fuel over this distance. One-way truck rental prices depend on direction: a truck headed where many people are moving often costs more than the same trip in reverse.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
Shipping a car from Delaware to Maine
Car shipping: $700–$1,060
Shipping a sedan from Delaware to Maine on an open carrier costs about $700–$1,060, typically 3–7 days in transit over about 530 miles.
Modeled from 32 published 2026 route prices (SGT Auto Transport 'Ship a Car to Another State' sample routes, SGT Auto Transport cost calculator sample routes) plus published mainland-to-Hawaii and mainland-to-Alaska prices. Reverse ocean routes reuse those inbound prices as a proxy, not a separately sourced price for that direction. The 25% SUV and 35% enclosed-carrier uplifts are model assumptions; ocean carrier packages and vehicle charges can differ. Not a quote.
Delaware vs Maine take-home pay at every salary
| Salary | Equal salary in ME | Take-home change | Take-home in DE | Take-home in ME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $48,000 | +$351 | $40,057 | $40,408 |
| $75,000 | $72,200 | +$149 | $57,684 | $57,833 |
| $100,000 | $96,700 | +$30 | $73,521 | $73,551 |
| $150,000 | $146,700 | -$1,009 | $104,632 | $103,623 |
| $250,000 | $245,400 | -$2,002 | $167,285 | $165,283 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. "Equal salary" keeps the same after-tax buying power.
Cost of living: Delaware vs Maine
| Measure | Delaware | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 99.8 | 97.0 |
| Housing rents price index | 102.0 | 78.9 |
| Utilities price index | 103.8 | 135.2 |
| Goods price index | 96.2 | 97.2 |
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,530 | $1,210 |
| Median home value | $371,600 | $341,900 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $1,750 | $3,103 |
| Electricity (residential) | 19.29¢/kWh | 29.59¢/kWh |
| State sales tax rate | 0% | 5.5% |
| Median household income | $87,534 | $76,442 |
Renting and buying: Delaware vs Maine
| Measure | Delaware | Maine |
|---|---|---|
| Income to rent the median home (30% rule) | $61,200 | $48,400 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,258 | $2,213 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $96,755 | $94,830 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,030 | $1,081 |
| Infant child care (center, yearly) | $17,252 | $16,144 |
Mortgage at the Freddie Mac 30-year average with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance that owners with a mortgage paid in 2024 (Census ACS). Premiums have risen in most states since then, so get quotes. See buying a home in Maine for other down payments.
Your yearly budget: Delaware vs Maine
On a $90,000 salary, taxes, gross rent including basic utilities, one car and health insurance for one adult come to $52,835 a year in Delaware and $48,656 in Maine if you rent: $4,179 less after the move. If you buy the median home, those selected costs use mortgage, property tax, homeowners insurance and electricity instead of gross rent; they come to $63,460 and $62,460 ($1,000 less).
Your yearly budget, before vs after
| Yearly cost | DE | ME | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income and payroll taxes on $90,000, single filer | $22,814 | $22,719 | -$95 |
| Car insurance one car, state average | $1,462 | $856 | -$606 |
| Gas 12,000 miles at 25 mpg | $1,907 | $2,053 | +$146 |
| Health insurance one adult, age 40, own plan before subsidies | $8,292 | $8,508 | +$216 |
| If you rent | |||
| Rent and basic utilities ACS median gross rent, 12 months | $18,360 | $14,520 | -$3,840 |
| Total if you rent | $52,835 | $48,656 | -$4,179 |
| If you buy the median home (20% down) | |||
| Mortgage payment median home, 20% down, 7.24% | $24,311 | $22,368 | -$1,943 |
| Property tax median home | $1,750 | $3,103 | +$1,353 |
| Homeowners insurance state median, with a mortgage | $1,030 | $1,081 | +$51 |
| Electricity state average bill | $1,894 | $1,772 | -$122 |
| Total if you buy | $63,460 | $62,460 | -$1,000 |
Taxes: 2026 federal and state rules, standard deduction. Rent, home value and property tax: Census ACS 2024 state medians. Gross rent includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels; those basic utilities are not added again. Mortgage: Freddie Mac 30-year average (7.24%, week of October 29, 2026).
State figures: EIA 2025 average residential power bill (buyers only), NAIC 2023 auto insurance (average per car), Census ACS 2024 homeowners insurance (median for owners with a mortgage; premiums have risen since), AAA regular gas on October 29, 2026, and the KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium. Job-based health coverage usually costs you less, and in 2026 incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level can get a premium tax credit.
Not included: sales tax (combined state and local rates are not in our data yet), food, car payments and other spending.
Child care is not in the totals. Full-time center care for one infant averages $17,252 a year in Delaware and $16,144 in Maine (Child Care Aware of America, 2025 (2024 fallback for Colorado, Washington, DC and South Carolina) state averages).
Cost of living in Maine cities: Portland, ME.
After you arrive in Maine
- Maine new resident checklist: driver license and vehicle registration deadlines.
- Taxes the year you move: part-year returns in Delaware and Maine.
- How Maine taxes retirement income.
Frequently asked questions
How much salary do I need in Maine to live like I do in Delaware?
A $90,000 salary in Delaware works out to about $86,800 in Maine once 2026 federal and state taxes and BEA regional price levels are counted. At $100,000 it is about $96,700.
Will I pay less tax in Maine than in Delaware?
Yes, about $95 less a year in income and payroll taxes on a $90,000 salary (25.3% of pay in Delaware vs 25.2% in Maine). Property and sales taxes are shown separately.
How much does it cost to move from Delaware to Maine?
For a 2–3 bedroom home over about 530 miles, expect roughly $480–$1,590 with a rental truck, $1,280–$2,760 with a moving container, or $2,120–$6,980 with full-service movers.
Are more people moving from Delaware to Maine?
Moves from Delaware to Maine peaked in 2021–22 at 69 households, then fell 10% by 2022–23. That is still up 24% from 2018–19.
How many people move from Delaware to Maine?
IRS migration data for 2022–2023 show 62 households (106 people) moved from Delaware to Maine, making Maine the #30 destination for people leaving Delaware. 56 households moved the other way.
Is Maine cheaper than Delaware?
Overall prices in Maine are 2.8% lower than Delaware (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024). Median rent is $1,210 vs $1,530 a month.
Compare other moves
Where people from Delaware actually move
- DE to Pennsylvania 3,885 households
- DE to Maryland 2,955 households
- DE to Florida 1,546 households
- DE to New Jersey 1,241 households
- DE to New York 914 households
- DE to Virginia 854 households
- DE to North Carolina 710 households
- DE to Texas 686 households
State-agency links identify the responsible tax office; they do not verify every modeled rule. Use forms and guidance for the year you are filing.