Calculators › Cost of raising a child
What raising a child costs
Food, housing, clothes, health care, child care and everything else, from birth to 18. Change any number to match your area.
Works in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. Today's dollars. Not financial advice.
See kids inside a whole money pathWhere the numbers come from
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's last estimate for a middle-income family was about $12,980 a year per child (2015), which is roughly $17,500 to $18,000 in today's dollars, or about $1,500 a month. It includes the child's share of housing, food, transportation, clothing, health care and miscellaneous costs. Child care before school varies enormously, from a few hundred to over $2,000 a month. The child tax credit is $2,200 per child under 17, phasing out at higher incomes.
What it doesn't count
College, a parent cutting back on work, or a bigger home bought because of kids. FIRE Mission's Starting Out page shows children inside a whole money path.
Questions
How much does it cost to raise a child to 18?
Roughly $300,000 to $380,000 in today's dollars for a middle-income family, depending on child care and where you live.
How much is the child tax credit?
$2,200 per qualifying child under 17, reduced at higher incomes.
More calculators
DUI cost calculator · Social Security: 62 vs 67 vs 70 · Military retirement pay (BRS and High-3) · What a daily habit is worth · Credit card payoff · Careers