There’s no single answer to “How much does childcare cost?” in the United States. Child Care Aware of America put the 2025 national average at $13,184 a year, or about $1,099 a month.
That figure covers every age group and type of care across 47 states. It’s a useful yardstick, but costs vary widely based on multiple factors.
In this article, we’ll break down childcare costs by type, location, and the age of the child and outline practical ways to lower your bills.
How Does Childcare Cost Vary by Type of Care?
Daycare prices and nanny rates aren’t always comparable one-to-one. State-licensed programs charge per child and have to meet the rules on caregiver-to-child ratios, staff training, and inspections. Individual caregivers, such as nannies and babysitters, generally aren’t subject to the same facility licensing requirements as childcare centers. Here’s how each one prices care:
- Childcare centers: Children are grouped by age with several staff members per room. Daycare prices tend to drop as your child moves up and grows in independence. Some centers quote a childcare cost per day.
- Family childcare homes: One licensed provider cares for a small, mixed-age group in their own home. This is also sometimes called home-based care or family daycare. Most charge one flat weekly rate.
- Nannies: One caregiver you employ, paid per household rather than per child. Payroll taxes add 10% to 12% on top of wages, and guaranteed hours mean paying for weeks you may not fully use.
- Nanny shares: Two families employ one nanny for both sets of children, each paying part of a higher-than-single-family rate.
- Babysitters: Hourly childcare at any age, booked as and when you need it. An after-school sitter is the recurring version.
How Much Does Daycare Cost a Year?
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of typical yearly costs and pricing models for each type of care. To calculate yearly costs, we multiplied each weekly rate by 52 for the full year and by 36 for the after-school row:
What’s the Average Cost of Daycare Per Week and Per Month?
The average cost of childcare per week and per month varies by type and hours of coverage. A childcare center week may have fixed nine or ten-hour days, while a nanny’s week may involve longer or shorter days depending on what you schedule. Few programs bill a flat monthly amount, so you’ll have to calculate that yourself by multiplying the weekly rate by 52 weeks per year, then dividing by 12 to get an average.
Here’s a comparison of the average childcare cost per month and per week for each type of care. Families who qualify for subsidies or subsidized programs often pay less:
5 Factors That Affect Childcare Costs
Five variables account for most of the difference between one family’s bill and another’s.
1. Your Child’s Age
Infant daycare is the most expensive because state ratios require more caregivers per child, typically one per every three to four infants. By the age of four, that number drops to one per every eight to 10 children. Family childcare homes may offer lower costs due to lower overhead costs, but they also offer limited capacity. If your child enters pre-K at three or four, you may be able to shift to wraparound care earlier, which can reduce costs. But most children enter kindergarten at age five.
Here’s a comparison of yearly costs for a childcare center versus a family childcare home for infants and preschoolers:
2. Where You Live
Daycare costs vary by state, metro area, and sometimes even neighborhood. This is driven by differences in wages and real estate costs, as well as ratio rules. Prices for infant daycare run from $6,492 to $27,067 a year, a gap of more than $1,700 a month between the most and least expensive states:
3. Full-Time vs. Part-Time Care
Cutting days lowers your total bill, but it raises your cost per day. Because centers must reserve a permanent slot and maintain staff-to-child ratios, a part time schedule (like two to three days) typically costs 50% to 75% of the full-time rate. That makes a daily rate a poor basis for a monthly estimate. Here’s the difference in daily and weekly costs of full and part-time daycare:
4. Number of Children
Centers and home-based programs charge per child, typically applying only a 10% sibling discount to the second, which is why the price nearly doubles. A nanny’s price barely moves because you’re paying one person for a block of hours. Here’s a comparison:
5. What You Pay on Top of Tuition
Daycare costs rarely stop at the advertised rate. Ask for the fee schedule and closure calendar before you sign an enrollment agreement, then check for these charges:
- Enrollment costs: Many daycare centers charge a waitlist fee, a non-refundable registration fee, and a deposit of half a month’s tuition or more before your child’s first day.
- Days you pay for and don’t use: Most center care contracts bill for holidays, closures, illness, and vacation, with no credit for days missed.
- Add-on charges: Extended hours, transportation, and meals are often billed separately, adding to the cost of daycare.
- Annual increases: Most programs raise tuition once a year, which makes it one of the periodic expenses worth reviewing on a set date.
- Closures and summer gaps: Programs can close for holidays and a week or two for summer breaks. Once your child’s in school, things like summer camps become a separate dependent care cost.
How Can You Make Childcare Costs More Manageable?
There are a number of ways you can work to make childcare more affordable. A few of these apply to almost everyone, and the rest depend on where you live and what your employer offers.
Lower the Price Itself
Here are a few ways you may be able to lower the price of care itself:
- Compare a home with a center: Licensed home-based programs often charge less for the same hours in the same area. A nanny share splits one wage between two households.
- Ask what discounts exist: Sibling discounts are common, as are staff, military families, and pay-monthly discounts.
- Price both schedules: At two or three days a week, part-time care often costs less overall. But at four days, a full week adds nominal cost.
- Check your employer benefits: Some employers offer on-site care, backup care, or a dependent care subsidy.
Use the Tax Benefits, and Pick the Right One
Two federal benefits increased in 2026. You can take advantage of both benefits, but you must use them on separate expenses.
Child and Dependent Care Credit
Depending on your income, this tax credit covers 20% to 50% of your care expenses up to $3,000 for one child or $6,000 for two or more. To qualify you must have earned income, use the care so you can work or look for work, and (if married) file a joint tax return. This is nonrefundable, meaning it can reduce your tax bill to zero, but it won’t pay out extra cash.
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
With a Dependent Care FSA, you elect to have money taken out of your paycheck before federal, state, and payroll taxes. This lowers your overall taxable income, but you can only use it if your company offers it as part of your benefits package. Recently, the limit increased from $5,000 to $7,500 per household (or $3,750 for married couples filing separately). However, if you don’t use the full credit within the year, you lose the remaining funds.
Check What You Qualify For
All 50 states run childcare assistance programs for low-income families. Many states fund free pre-K for three and four-year-olds as well. And Head Start serves eligible families from pregnancy through age five with free early development programs, preschool, and health screenings.
Start at childcare.gov for your state’s care program and your local childcare resource and referral agency. They can also tell you the going rate in your area.
Can You Split Childcare Payments With Flex?
How you pay for daycare depends on what methods your childcare provider accepts. Many have dedicated payment apps like Brightwheel or Procare. Others allow for electronic payments, like ACH bank transfers, debit cards, or credit cards. And some smaller in-home daycares may also accept cash or a paper check. But whatever the method, you’ll usually need to pay on the same day of the week or the same day each month. If that payment date doesn’t line up cleanly with when your paycheck lands, you may find yourself dipping into your emergency fund to cover the cost.
In this case, check whether Flex supports your childcare provider. Eligible customers can split their daycare bill into two payments. You pay Flex part of the total, and your provider receives the full amount on time. Later in the month, on an eligible date, you make the second payment.
Review your options with Flex Bills today. Provider availability, eligibility, and features vary