Cost of Raising a Child Calculator

The cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 varies widely based on location, income level, and lifestyle choices.

USDA estimates (adjusted to 2025 dollars): The USDA’s “Expenditures on Children by Families” report provides the most comprehensive data. For a middle-income, married-couple family, the average cost is approximately $310,000 to $350,000 per child (birth to 17). This does not include college costs.

Major expense categories (approximate share):

• Housing: 29%, the largest single expense
• Food: 18%, groceries and dining
• Childcare and education: 16%, daycare, preschool, school supplies
• Transportation: 15%, car seats, larger vehicle, driving teens around
• Healthcare: 9%, insurance premiums, copays, dental, vision
• Clothing: 6%, children outgrow clothes quickly
• Miscellaneous: 7%, entertainment, personal care, toys, activities

Regional differences:

• Urban Northeast: Highest costs, approximately 20-25% above average
• Urban South: Close to the national average
• Urban Midwest: Slightly below average
• Urban West: 10-15% above average
• Rural areas: Approximately 20-25% below urban costs

Income level impact: Lower-income families spend less in total but a higher percentage of their income. Higher-income families spend more in absolute dollars, particularly on education and activities.

The cost is not spread evenly across the 18 years

This is the part that catches new parents out, so the calculator splits the total three ways:

• Years 0 to 5 take about 32% of the whole 18-year bill, squeezed into six years. Daycare is the reason, and in a major US city it runs $12,000 to $25,000 a year per child.
• Years 6 to 12 are the cheapest stretch, roughly 30% spread over seven years. School is free, the child is out of daycare, and the teenage expenses have not started.
• Years 13 to 17 climb again to about 38% in only five years: a bigger food bill, activities, insurance once they drive, and often a second car.

So the monthly cost of a toddler and the monthly cost of a fifteen-year-old are roughly similar, with a much cheaper valley in between. Families who budget off the flat 18-year average are underfunded at both ends.

The sibling discount is real, and smaller than people hope

A second child does not double the bill. Housing is already paid for, clothes and gear get handed down, and food is bought in bulk. USDA data puts the saving at about 7% per child for two children and about 12% for three or more, which is what this calculator applies. It is a discount on the per-child figure, not on the total, so three children still cost far more than two.

Tax offsets you can actually claim

The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,000 per child per year while the child is under 17, and it phases out above $200,000 of income filing single or $400,000 filing jointly. A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (Dependent Care FSA) lets you pay childcare with pre-tax dollars up to $5,000 a year until the child turns 13, which is worth roughly $1,200 a year at a typical marginal rate. Together those are worth something like $50,000 per child across the 18 years, which the result panel subtracts to give a net figure.

Not included in this estimate: College tuition, room and board, wedding costs, or financial support after age 18. The result panel shows a college figure separately so you can see the two side by side.