The OneOrBoth Childcare Cost Dataset (2026)
Every number behind this site in one place: full-time childcare fees, median household income, rent, commute costs and the break-even salary for 50 cities across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa. Free to cite with attribution.
Methodology
- Childcare fees. Full-time (about 50 hours a week, 12 months a year) centre-based fees for an infant aged 0–2 and a preschooler aged 3–4, taken from published national fee surveys and rounded to the nearest useful figure. Subsidies are not deducted — subsidy rules are covered on each country page.
- Household income. Median gross household income from the relevant national statistics office, at metro level where published and national level otherwise.
- Rent. Median monthly rent for a two-bedroom home from official rent indices or fair-market-rent tables.
- Commute and groceries. Country-level typicals for one working parent and a family of four respectively; they are deliberately conservative starting points you should overwrite with your own figures.
- Break-even salary. Annual childcare plus commute costs are grossed up using the country's published income-tax bands: it is the lowest gross salary whose after-tax value covers those costs, assuming the returning parent's income is taxed on its own and no subsidy applies.
- Rounding and vintage. Figures are estimates for 2026, rounded for readability, and reviewed when the underlying sources publish new releases.
Sources by country
The full table
United States
| City | Infant / mo | Preschool / mo | Rent 2br / mo | Median income | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $2,100 | $1,750 | $3,600 | $79,000 | $28,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $1,850 | $1,500 | $2,800 | $80,000 | $25,000 |
| Chicago, IL | $1,650 | $1,350 | $2,100 | $71,000 | $22,500 |
| Houston, TX | $1,150 | $950 | $1,600 | $63,000 | $16,500 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $1,300 | $1,100 | $1,700 | $76,000 | $18,500 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $1,400 | $1,150 | $1,750 | $60,000 | $19,500 |
| San Antonio, TX | $1,050 | $900 | $1,400 | $60,000 | $15,500 |
| San Diego, CA | $1,900 | $1,550 | $2,900 | $98,000 | $25,500 |
| Dallas, TX | $1,250 | $1,050 | $1,700 | $68,000 | $18,000 |
| Austin, TX | $1,500 | $1,250 | $1,850 | $90,000 | $21,000 |
| San Francisco, CA | $2,600 | $2,100 | $3,600 | $137,000 | $35,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $2,200 | $1,800 | $2,400 | $116,000 | $29,500 |
| Denver, CO | $1,750 | $1,450 | $2,000 | $91,000 | $24,000 |
| Boston, MA | $2,600 | $2,050 | $3,300 | $94,000 | $35,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | $1,300 | $1,100 | $1,900 | $79,000 | $18,500 |
| Miami, FL | $1,200 | $1,000 | $2,700 | $65,000 | $17,500 |
| Washington, DC | $2,400 | $1,900 | $2,700 | $106,000 | $32,000 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $1,800 | $1,450 | $1,600 | $78,000 | $24,500 |
| Portland, OR | $1,700 | $1,400 | $1,750 | $85,000 | $23,500 |
| Charlotte, NC | $1,250 | $1,050 | $1,650 | $76,000 | $18,000 |
| Nashville, TN | $1,300 | $1,100 | $1,700 | $74,000 | $18,500 |
| Columbus, OH | $1,150 | $950 | $1,350 | $68,000 | $16,500 |
| Detroit, MI | $1,100 | $900 | $1,200 | $40,000 | $16,000 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $1,150 | $975 | $1,550 | $70,000 | $16,500 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $1,200 | $1,000 | $1,600 | $80,000 | $17,500 |
United Kingdom
| City | Infant / mo | Preschool / mo | Rent 2br / mo | Median income | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £1,750 | £1,550 | £2,200 | £47,000 | £23,500 |
| Manchester | £1,050 | £950 | £1,150 | £38,000 | £15,000 |
| Birmingham | £950 | £880 | £1,050 | £36,000 | £14,000 |
| Leeds | £1,000 | £900 | £1,100 | £37,000 | £14,500 |
| Bristol | £1,200 | £1,100 | £1,500 | £41,000 | £17,000 |
| Glasgow | £950 | £880 | £1,000 | £37,000 | £14,000 |
| Edinburgh | £1,200 | £1,100 | £1,400 | £44,000 | £17,000 |
| Cardiff | £950 | £880 | £1,000 | £35,000 | £14,000 |
Canada
| City | Infant / mo | Preschool / mo | Rent 2br / mo | Median income | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | C$1,800 | C$1,400 | C$2,900 | C$90,000 | C$26,000 |
| Ottawa | C$1,100 | C$950 | C$2,100 | C$96,000 | C$16,000 |
| Vancouver | C$1,500 | C$1,250 | C$3,200 | C$88,000 | C$21,500 |
| Montreal | C$700 | C$650 | C$1,900 | C$75,000 | C$11,000 |
| Calgary | C$1,000 | C$850 | C$1,900 | C$98,000 | C$14,500 |
| Edmonton | C$950 | C$850 | C$1,600 | C$92,000 | C$14,000 |
Australia
| City | Infant / mo | Preschool / mo | Rent 2br / mo | Median income | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | A$2,600 | A$2,400 | A$3,000 | A$100,000 | A$34,500 |
| Melbourne | A$2,300 | A$2,100 | A$2,300 | A$92,000 | A$31,000 |
| Brisbane | A$2,100 | A$1,950 | A$2,400 | A$90,000 | A$28,500 |
| Perth | A$1,900 | A$1,750 | A$2,200 | A$95,000 | A$26,000 |
| Adelaide | A$1,850 | A$1,700 | A$1,900 | A$82,000 | A$25,500 |
| Canberra | A$2,300 | A$2,100 | A$2,600 | A$120,000 | A$31,000 |
South Africa
| City | Infant / mo | Preschool / mo | Rent 2br / mo | Median income | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | R4,500 | R3,800 | R12,000 | R350,000 | R102,500 |
| Pretoria | R4,000 | R3,400 | R11,000 | R330,000 | R95,500 |
| Cape Town | R5,000 | R4,200 | R14,000 | R340,000 | R110,000 |
| Durban | R3,500 | R3,000 | R10,000 | R280,000 | R88,000 |
| Gqeberha | R3,000 | R2,600 | R8,500 | R250,000 | R80,500 |
Citing this dataset
Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Suggested citation:
OneOrBoth (2026). Childcare costs, household income and break-even salary by city. https://oneorboth.com/data
Questions about the data
Can I cite or reuse this childcare cost data?
Yes. The dataset is free to cite and reuse with attribution to OneOrBoth and a link to https://oneorboth.com/data. Every figure is an estimate compiled from the public sources listed on the page.
How often is the dataset updated?
Figures are reviewed whenever the underlying sources publish new releases — childcare fee surveys, national household income statistics and official rent indices — and the year label on each page reflects the vintage in use.
How is the break-even salary calculated?
We total annual childcare and commuting costs for the returning parent, then find the lowest gross salary whose after-tax value covers that total using the country's published income-tax bands, with no subsidies applied.
Browse childcare costs by city · Living wage for a family with kids