Childcare Costs by City: 44 U.S. Metro Areas Compared (2026)
Find average daycare, nanny, and au pair costs in your city
Childcare costs vary dramatically across the United States. A daycare center for an infant in Seattle costs $32,840/year — about 2.8x the $11,580 for the same care in San Antonio. Below is a comparison of 44 major metro areas, sorted from most to least expensive for infant daycare.
Click any city to see a detailed cost breakdown by care type and age group, plus tips for reducing costs with tax benefits and state subsidies. Or use our calculator for personalized estimates based on your exact zip code.
All Cities — Sorted by Infant Daycare Cost
| City | State | Daycare (Infant) | Nanny (Infant) | Au Pair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | WA | $32,840/yr | $57,990/yr | $22,000/yr |
| San Francisco Bay Area | CA | $30,960/yr | $65,400/yr | $22,000/yr |
| New York City | NY | $29,170/yr | $53,000/yr | $22,000/yr |
| San Jose | CA | $28,570/yr | $62,520/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Washington, DC | DC | $27,980/yr | $49,630/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Boston | MA | $27,380/yr | $52,120/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Denver | CO | $26,160/yr | $51,020/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Portland | OR | $25,040/yr | $49,570/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Los Angeles | CA | $23,810/yr | $57,870/yr | $22,000/yr |
| San Diego | CA | $22,030/yr | $52,420/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Chicago | IL | $21,430/yr | $48,840/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | MN | $20,840/yr | $44,450/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Baltimore | MD | $20,240/yr | $44,490/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Hartford | CT | $20,240/yr | $45,510/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Milwaukee | WI | $20,150/yr | $41,450/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Raleigh-Durham | NC | $19,810/yr | $44,120/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Philadelphia | PA | $19,650/yr | $47,610/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Sacramento | CA | $19,050/yr | $48,320/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Cleveland | OH | $18,280/yr | $43,510/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Pittsburgh | PA | $16,670/yr | $44,530/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Nashville | TN | $16,070/yr | $46,340/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Salt Lake City | UT | $16,070/yr | $44,510/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Columbus | OH | $16,070/yr | $42,040/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Buffalo | NY | $16,070/yr | $44,570/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Cincinnati | OH | $16,070/yr | $41,560/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Charlotte | NC | $15,480/yr | $45,840/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Detroit | MI | $15,480/yr | $43,870/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Phoenix | AZ | $15,480/yr | $46,450/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Tampa / Orlando | FL | $15,480/yr | $43,720/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Indianapolis | IN | $15,480/yr | $42,680/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Kansas City | MO | $15,480/yr | $41,660/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Richmond | VA | $15,480/yr | $44,510/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Louisville | KY | $15,480/yr | $40,080/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Memphis | TN | $15,410/yr | $39,520/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Las Vegas | NV | $14,880/yr | $44,490/yr | $22,000/yr |
| St. Louis | MO | $14,880/yr | $42,660/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Jacksonville | FL | $14,880/yr | $41,080/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Oklahoma City | OK | $14,880/yr | $38,750/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Austin | TX | $14,210/yr | $49,480/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Miami | FL | $13,530/yr | $49,170/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Atlanta | GA | $13,250/yr | $47,470/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Dallas / Fort Worth | TX | $12,090/yr | $43,420/yr | $22,000/yr |
| Houston | TX | $11,860/yr | $43,660/yr | $22,000/yr |
| San Antonio | TX | $11,580/yr | $39,790/yr | $22,000/yr |
Download the Data
Every estimate in the table above — daycare center, in-home daycare, nanny, and nanny share costs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children, plus au pair costs — is available as a free CSV under the CC BY 4.0 license. Journalists, researchers, and HR benefits teams are welcome to use it with attribution.
Using these figures? See how to cite this data below. Sources and methods: methodology.
Cite This Data
Reporters, researchers, and benefits teams can quote, chart, or republish these figures. Please credit Childcare Cost Calculator (Dinnr LLC) and link to this page, so readers can check the numbers and the method behind them.
- Suggested citation (APA, 7th ed.)
- Dinnr LLC. (2026). 2026 childcare costs by U.S. metro area [Data set]. Childcare Cost Calculator. https://childcarecostfinder.com/costs/
- Attribution line for articles and charts (CC BY 4.0)
- Source: Childcare Cost Calculator (Dinnr LLC), “2026 Childcare Costs by U.S. Metro Area,” https://childcarecostfinder.com/costs/, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- License: the dataset is published under CC BY 4.0. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you give credit, link to the license, and say if you changed anything (for example, converting annual figures to monthly or combining them with other data).
- What the numbers are: estimated 2026 costs for full-time care of one child, per year. Au pair costs are per household. Nanny and nanny share figures are wages before employer payroll taxes.
- Method and sources: how each figure is built, and its limitations, is documented on our methodology page.
- Press and data questions: [email protected]. To report an error, email [email protected].
- Embed our calculator: childcarecostfinder.com/embed/ has free code to add a ZIP-code childcare cost widget to your site.
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The figures above are metro-area averages. Actual costs vary by neighborhood and provider. Our free calculator uses your specific zip code for more precise estimates and shows your tax savings.
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