How Much Does Daycare Cost?
Full-time centre-based infant daycare in the United States averages $1,188 a month — about $14,256 a year — in 2026. Preschool care for a three or four year old averages $953 a month. What you actually pay depends far more on where you live than on anything else: South Dakota averages $655 while District of Columbia averages $2,125.
Daycare cost at a glance
$14,256
Per year (infant)
$1,188
Per month (infant)
$274
Per week (infant)
$55
Per day (infant)
US averages across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 2026. Weekly and daily figures divide the monthly average by 4.33 weeks and 21.7 working days. Source: Child Care Aware of America — Price of Care: 2023 Affordability Analysis (Table I).
Daycare cost calculator
Your situation
Used to show what share of your pay daycare takes.
Estimated daycare cost
$1,630
per month
- Per year
- $19,560
- Per week
- $376
- Per child, per month
- $1,630
- Share of your gross salary
- 35.6%
Daycare takes 35.6% of your gross pay in California. Add tax, commuting and work costs to see what the job really nets you.
See what you'd actually take homeEstimates before any subsidy or tax credit. Part-time and sibling pricing varies by centre — always confirm with three local quotes.
Daycare cost by state
Average monthly full-time centre-based fees, most expensive first. Each state has its own page with the break-even salary a returning parent needs.
| State | Infant / month | Preschool / month | Infant / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $2,125 | $1,700 | $25,500 |
| Massachusetts | $2,000 | $1,565 | $24,000 |
| Hawaii | $1,880 | $1,095 | $22,560 |
| Washington | $1,700 | $1,310 | $20,400 |
| Minnesota | $1,675 | $1,295 | $20,100 |
| Maryland | $1,660 | $1,065 | $19,920 |
| New Jersey | $1,635 | $1,415 | $19,620 |
| California | $1,630 | $1,200 | $19,560 |
| Colorado | $1,630 | $1,150 | $19,560 |
| New York | $1,630 | $1,370 | $19,560 |
| Vermont | $1,500 | $1,420 | $18,000 |
| Connecticut | $1,490 | $1,225 | $17,880 |
| Oregon | $1,475 | $1,155 | $17,700 |
| New Hampshire | $1,440 | $1,220 | $17,280 |
| Rhode Island | $1,410 | $1,220 | $16,920 |
| Illinois | $1,365 | $1,000 | $16,380 |
| Virginia | $1,365 | $1,130 | $16,380 |
| Kansas | $1,255 | $810 | $15,060 |
| Delaware | $1,250 | $1,005 | $15,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,205 | $1,010 | $14,460 |
| Arizona | $1,170 | $910 | $14,040 |
| Indiana | $1,145 | $785 | $13,740 |
| Wisconsin | $1,130 | $925 | $13,560 |
| New Mexico | $1,125 | $790 | $13,500 |
| Nebraska | $1,085 | $910 | $13,020 |
| Nevada | $1,085 | $910 | $13,020 |
| Missouri | $1,075 | $805 | $12,900 |
| Florida | $1,055 | $760 | $12,660 |
| Michigan | $1,055 | $870 | $12,660 |
| Ohio | $1,030 | $800 | $12,360 |
| North Carolina | $1,020 | $850 | $12,240 |
| Iowa | $1,015 | $810 | $12,180 |
| Tennessee | $1,000 | $865 | $12,000 |
| Maine | $995 | $715 | $11,940 |
| Alaska | $980 | $800 | $11,760 |
| Montana | $975 | $865 | $11,700 |
| Utah | $935 | $690 | $11,220 |
| Wyoming | $925 | $810 | $11,100 |
| Georgia | $920 | $805 | $11,040 |
| Texas | $920 | $830 | $11,040 |
| North Dakota | $895 | $805 | $10,740 |
| West Virginia | $845 | $760 | $10,140 |
| Idaho | $840 | $710 | $10,080 |
| Louisiana | $840 | $765 | $10,080 |
| Oklahoma | $840 | $705 | $10,080 |
| Kentucky | $805 | $710 | $9,660 |
| South Carolina | $755 | $685 | $9,060 |
| Arkansas | $740 | $685 | $8,880 |
| Alabama | $730 | $680 | $8,760 |
| Mississippi | $680 | $610 | $8,160 |
| South Dakota | $655 | $600 | $7,860 |
Daycare cost by city
City prices diverge sharply from the state average. In the United States Boston, MA is the most expensive city tracked here at $2,870 a month, while San Antonio, TX comes in at $830.
United States
- New York, NY$2,365/mo
- Los Angeles, CA$1,900/mo
- Chicago, IL$1,790/mo
- Houston, TX$950/mo
- Phoenix, AZ$1,205/mo
- Philadelphia, PA$1,505/mo
- San Antonio, TX$830/mo
- San Diego, CA$1,970/mo
- Dallas, TX$1,010/mo
- Austin, TX$1,100/mo
- San Francisco, CA$2,365/mo
- Seattle, WA$2,090/mo
- Denver, CO$1,715/mo
- Boston, MA$2,870/mo
- Atlanta, GA$1,060/mo
- Miami, FL$1,500/mo
- Washington, DC$2,390/mo
- Minneapolis, MN$1,915/mo
- Portland, OR$1,520/mo
- Charlotte, NC$1,160/mo
- Nashville, TN$1,170/mo
- Columbus, OH$1,160/mo
- Detroit, MI$1,015/mo
- Las Vegas, NV$1,085/mo
- Salt Lake City, UT$935/mo
United Kingdom
- London£1,680/mo
- Manchester£1,250/mo
- Birmingham£1,235/mo
- Leeds£1,120/mo
- Bristol£1,265/mo
- Glasgow£1,180/mo
- Edinburgh£1,180/mo
- Cardiff£1,130/mo
Australia
South Africa
- JohannesburgR4,500/mo
- PretoriaR4,000/mo
- Cape TownR5,000/mo
- DurbanR3,500/mo
- GqeberhaR3,000/mo
Browse all 50 city pages on the childcare costs by city hub or all 51 state pages on the childcare costs by state hub.
What actually drives the price
Staff-to-child ratios
Staffing is 60–80% of a childcare centre's costs, and infant rooms are legally required to run far more staff per child than preschool rooms. That single rule explains most of the gap between the $1,188 infant average and the $953 preschool average.
Local wages and rent
A centre pays local staff and rents local premises, so childcare prices track the cost of living in the surrounding area almost perfectly. This is why a metro area can be 60% more expensive than the rural parts of the same state.
Type of care
Home-based family childcare typically runs 20–30% below centre-based care. A nanny is a fixed cost that only beats daycare from two children upwards, and an au pair sits between the two once you count room and board.
Subsidies and credits
Every figure on this page is the sticker price. Government support can cut it substantially, and it usually shrinks as your income rises — the childcare subsidy guides set out what each country offers and where the cliff edges sit.
Daycare cost FAQs
How much does daycare cost per month?
Full-time centre-based infant daycare in the United States averages about $1,188 a month in 2026, or roughly $14,256 a year. Care for a three or four year old is cheaper at around $953 a month, because older children need fewer staff per child. Prices swing widely by location: South Dakota averages $655 while District of Columbia averages $2,125.
How much does daycare cost per week?
Dividing the US monthly average of $1,188 across 4.33 weeks gives roughly $274 a week for full-time infant care. Many centres quote weekly rather than monthly, and a weekly quote multiplied by 52 and divided by 12 is the honest monthly figure — centres usually charge for holidays and sick days too.
How much does daycare cost per day?
A full-time place is normally five days a week, so the US average works out at roughly $55 per day for an infant. Part-time places rarely cost a straight fraction of that: three days a week typically costs 60–70% of the full-time fee rather than 60%, because centres lose the flexibility to fill the other days.
Why is infant daycare more expensive than preschool?
Staff-to-child ratios. Infant rooms are commonly staffed at one adult per three or four babies, while preschool rooms run at one adult per eight to ten children. Staffing is the dominant cost in a childcare centre, so the fee follows the ratio almost directly. Expect the price to fall in steps as your child moves from infant to toddler to preschool room.
Is daycare cheaper than a nanny?
For one child, almost always yes. A nanny is a fixed cost — salary, employer taxes and benefits — while daycare is priced per child. The crossover usually arrives at two children in full-time care, where a single nanny covers both for roughly what two daycare places cost. Our nanny vs daycare vs au pair comparison walks through the break-even in detail.
How much of my salary will daycare take?
Across the states tracked here, one infant in full-time care costs between 12% and 30% of the median household income. Against a single second salary the share is far higher — it is common for daycare to consume half of a second earner's take-home pay. Use the calculator on this page with your own salary to see the exact percentage.
Will daycare costs go down as my child gets older?
Yes, in three steps. Moving out of the infant room typically saves 15–25%, moving to preschool saves another 20–30%, and starting school cuts the bill by 50–70% because you only pay for wraparound care. Free or funded hours also start at different ages depending on the country.