Daycare vs Rent, Groceries and Utilities
Four costs dominate the budget of a family with a young child: childcare, housing, food and utilities. This page puts all four side by side for 50 cities in 5 countries. In 12 of them — 24% — full-time infant daycare is the single largest monthly cost a family faces, bigger than the rent.
Which is your biggest expense?
Your monthly costs
Loads local 2026 figures. Edit any line below to match your own budget.
Your biggest expense
Rent or mortgage
$1,850 a month — 41% of these four costs combined ($4,510).
- Rent or mortgage$1,850 · 41%
- Daycare$1,100 · 24.4%
- Groceries$1,100 · 24.4%
- Utilities and broadband$460 · 10.2%
Childcare is 2 of 4 here at 24.4%. Housing is usually the only line with enough headroom to change the outcome.
Run these numbers in the full calculatorCost comparison by city
Monthly figures in local currency, ordered by how much of the four core costs childcare consumes. Figures are sticker prices before any subsidy.
| City | Daycare | Rent | Groceries | Utilities | Biggest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | A$3,940 | A$3,000 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Canberra | A$3,555 | A$2,600 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Brisbane | A$3,280 | A$2,400 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Melbourne | A$3,145 | A$2,300 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Adelaide | A$2,790 | A$1,900 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Perth | A$3,010 | A$2,200 | A$1,400 | A$400 | Daycare |
| Minneapolis, MN | $1,915 | $1,600 | $1,100 | $460 | Daycare |
| Birmingham | £1,235 | £1,050 | £700 | £300 | Daycare |
| Boston, MA | $2,870 | $3,300 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Glasgow | £1,180 | £1,000 | £700 | £300 | Daycare |
| Manchester | £1,250 | £1,150 | £700 | £300 | Daycare |
| Cardiff | £1,130 | £1,000 | £700 | £300 | Daycare |
| Washington, DC | $2,390 | $2,700 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Leeds | £1,120 | £1,100 | £700 | £300 | Daycare |
| Seattle, WA | $2,090 | $2,400 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| London | £1,680 | £2,200 | £700 | £300 | Rent |
| Bristol | £1,265 | £1,500 | £700 | £300 | Rent |
| Edinburgh | £1,180 | £1,400 | £700 | £300 | Rent |
| Chicago, IL | $1,790 | $2,100 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Denver, CO | $1,715 | $2,000 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Portland, OR | $1,520 | $1,750 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| New York, NY | $2,365 | $3,600 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| San Francisco, CA | $2,365 | $3,600 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Philadelphia, PA | $1,505 | $1,750 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| San Diego, CA | $1,970 | $2,900 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Los Angeles, CA | $1,900 | $2,800 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Columbus, OH | $1,160 | $1,350 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Phoenix, AZ | $1,205 | $1,700 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Detroit, MI | $1,015 | $1,200 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Charlotte, NC | $1,160 | $1,650 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Nashville, TN | $1,170 | $1,700 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Miami, FL | $1,500 | $2,700 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Las Vegas, NV | $1,085 | $1,550 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Austin, TX | $1,100 | $1,850 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Dallas, TX | $1,010 | $1,700 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Atlanta, GA | $1,060 | $1,900 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Houston, TX | $950 | $1,600 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $935 | $1,600 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| San Antonio, TX | $830 | $1,400 | $1,100 | $460 | Rent |
| Cape Town | R5,000 | R14,000 | R8,000 | R3,200 | Rent |
| Johannesburg | R4,500 | R12,000 | R8,000 | R3,200 | Rent |
| Vancouver | C$870 | C$3,200 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
| Pretoria | R4,000 | R11,000 | R8,000 | R3,200 | Rent |
| Durban | R3,500 | R10,000 | R8,000 | R3,200 | Rent |
| Gqeberha | R3,000 | R8,500 | R8,000 | R3,200 | Rent |
| Ottawa | C$475 | C$2,100 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
| Toronto | C$475 | C$2,900 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
| Edmonton | C$325 | C$1,600 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
| Calgary | C$325 | C$1,900 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
| Montreal | C$210 | C$1,900 | C$1,200 | C$370 | Rent |
Where the utility figures come from
Childcare, rent and grocery figures come from the sources documented on the data and methodology page. Utilities are country-level estimates for a family-sized home:
| Country | Per month | Covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $460 | Electricity, gas, water and sewer, refuse and home broadband | U.S. Energy Information Administration — Residential Energy Consumption Survey |
| United Kingdom | £300 | Electricity and gas at the Ofgem price cap, water and broadband | Ofgem — Energy price cap |
| Canada | C$370 | Electricity, heating, water and home internet | Statistics Canada — Household spending, Canada |
| Australia | A$400 | Electricity, gas, water and home internet | Australian Energy Regulator — Retail energy market |
| South Africa | R3,200 | Eskom or municipal electricity, water, refuse and fibre | Statistics South Africa — CPI housing, water and electricity |
Cost comparison FAQs
Is daycare more expensive than rent?
In 12 of the 50 cities tracked here — about 24% — full-time infant daycare costs more per month than a median two-bedroom rent. The pattern holds strongest in cities with modest housing costs and high childcare fees; in the most expensive housing markets rent still wins. Sydney has the highest daycare share of the four core costs at 45.1%.
What are the four biggest monthly costs for a family with a baby?
For most households with one child in full-time care the four largest recurring costs are childcare, housing, food and utilities, in that rough order. Together they typically account for 70–85% of a family's monthly outgoings, which is why a change in any one of them dominates the budget far more than trimming discretionary spending.
How much do family utilities cost per month?
A family-sized home running electricity, heating, water and broadband costs roughly 460 US dollars a month in the United States, 300 pounds in the UK, 370 Canadian dollars, 400 Australian dollars and 3200 rand. Utilities are the smallest of the four core costs almost everywhere, which is why cutting them rarely fixes a childcare squeeze.
Which expense should I try to reduce first?
Whichever one this page shows as your biggest. Attacking a 30% line item with a 10% saving beats attacking a 5% line item with a 50% saving. In practice that means childcare days or housing for most families with a baby — groceries and utilities simply do not have enough headroom to change the outcome.
Do these figures include subsidies and tax credits?
No. Every figure on this page is the sticker price before any government support. Childcare support can cut the daycare line dramatically — see the childcare subsidy guides for the credits, funded hours and rebates available in each country, and what happens to them as your income rises.