What It Actually Costs
to Raise a Kid
Not the USDA number from 2015. YOUR number, for YOUR kid, at YOUR age, in YOUR city. Drag the slider and watch.
Where the money goes at age 0
The numbers nobody tells you
For most families, childcare is 30-50% of the total cost from ages 0-5. Then it drops to zero when school starts. That's not a gradual decrease. It's a cliff. The monthly cost of raising a 4-year-old can be double the cost of raising an 8-year-old. Plan for it, but know it ends.
A 3-year-old eats $80/month in food. A 14-year-old eats $250-350/month. They eat constantly. Growth spurts are real. Budget for this or it sneaks up on your grocery bill.
Car insurance for a teen driver: $200-400/month added to your policy. Gas money. Phone plan. The monthly cost at 16 can rival the daycare years. Plan for it starting at 14 so it's not a shock.
The commonly cited $310,000 figure Source: Brookings Institution, 2022 is an average across all income levels and all regions. A two-income family in Raleigh with one kid in family daycare spends very differently than a single parent in San Francisco with two kids in a daycare center. YOUR number is what matters. That's why the calculator above exists.
What I actually spent: Year 1 through Year 4
These are real numbers from my family. Two kids. Raleigh, NC. One parent worked full time, one worked part time from home. In-home daycare for 3 days/week.
Delivery: $3,200 (after insurance hit OOP max)
Daycare (3 days/wk): $900/mo = $10,800
Gear (stroller, crib, car seat, etc.): $2,100
Diapers + wipes: $85/mo = $1,020
Formula (supplemented): $60/mo = $720
Clothes (mostly used): $40/mo = $480
Medical copays: $50/mo = $600
Everything else: $300/mo = $3,600
Daycare: still $900/mo = $10,800
Food (eating real food now): $120/mo = $1,440
Diapers: $70/mo = $840
No formula. No delivery costs. No big gear purchases.
Activities started: swim lessons $80/mo
Everything else: $250/mo = $3,000
Preschool (3 days/wk): $800/mo = $9,600
Food: $140/mo = $1,680
Potty training = diapers ended (finally)
Activities: soccer + swim = $160/mo = $1,920
Clothes (growing fast): $60/mo = $720
Everything else: $190/mo = $2,280
Pre-K (public, free): $0
After-school care: $400/mo = $4,800
Food (eating like a trucker): $180/mo = $2,160
Activities: soccer + art + swim = $240/mo = $2,880
Clothes: $60/mo = $720
Birthday parties (theirs + attending others): $600
Everything else: $300/mo = $3,600
Total years 1-4: $71,000. That's about $1,480/month averaged out. The big drop from year 1 to year 4 was childcare costs decreasing as we shifted to part-time then free pre-K. Your numbers will be different. Use the calculator above with your real inputs.
