Cost of Raising a Child Calculator: Personalized Estimator

How to use this cost of raising a child calculator

Estimating the cost of raising a child can vary widely depending on where you live, your income level, your lifestyle, and your child's needs. However, this calculator can help you break down the expenses and more accurately estimate the total cost for your preparation for the future budget on child costs. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Customize the Age Range Incurred in Each Category: The calculator allows you to input your child's age range for each expense category. You will determine the age range (from their current age to age 22) you will spend in this category to raise or support this child.

2. Input Monthly Expense in Each Category: For each expense category, input the monthly expense you expect to spend on your child based on the cost when that expense starts to incur.

3. Adjust for Inflation: If you want a more accurate future estimate, you can adjust for inflation. The calculator provides a % growth input to factor in expected inflation rates, making the cost projection more realistic as prices increase over time. 3% is usually a reasonable estimate for US long-term inflation. However, some expenses, such as college tuition, may grow faster.

4. Set Personalized Growth Rate: The calculator lets you further adjust the growth rate assumption for costs based on personal needs. This is useful if you believe certain categories of expenses (such as healthcare, education, or childcare) will rise at a different rate in your child than average inflation.

5. Review the Calculated Estimate: After entering the relevant details, you can check the total expense and educational expense trend by year in the chart. In the summary table, you can estimate the total cost of raising your child at each age or all ages, with a breakdown by category. The total expense is calculated at the bottom of the table.

6. Compared with the national average: According to USDA estimate, parents of a child born in 2015 may expect to spend $284,570 on average to raise a child through age 17, excluding the cost of a college education. From 2015 to 2025, that cost may further rise 34%, to $381,400, due to the high inflations up to date.

This estimate can help you plan financially for the future, especially in terms of budgeting for parenting and raising children within your family budget. Use this to understand where you may need to allocate resources or adjust your financial planning.

The monthly cost of raising a child

Here is the most current (2025) US national average for each expense category of raising a child, based on the latest available data and reputable sources. Some categories are estimated using annual figures divided by 12 for monthly averages. Where direct data is unavailable, national averages and authoritative reports are used.

Expense	Monthly Cost	Notes & Sources
Babysitting	$670	$343/week for daycare (Care.com 2025)
Medical	$120	Includes insurance and prescriptions (SmartAsset, USDA)
Dental	$40	Preventive care, insurance, out-of-pocket (USDA, Delta Dental)
Grocery	$350	USDA moderate-cost plan for a child
Restaurant	$90	Eating out, based on USDA and BLS data
Clothing	$70	Annual average divided by 12 (USDA)
Housing	$900	Incremental cost per child (SmartAsset, USDA)
Vehicle	$200	Additional transportation costs (SmartAsset, USDA)
Activities	$100	Sports, clubs, lessons (USDA, BLS)
Vacations	$80	Family travel (USDA, BLS)
Gifts	$40	Birthdays, holidays (USDA)
Preschool	$200	(Care.com 2025)
School	$60	Supplies, fees (public school, USDA)
Tutoring	$100	Varies widely (BLS, tutoring industry)
College	$500	Varies widely (e.g. contribution to 529 plan )

Notes:

• Preschool/daycare is one of the largest monthly expenses for families with young children.
• Housing, food, and transportation are the next biggest categories.
• Medical and dental costs can vary significantly by insurance coverage and region.

These figures provide a realistic, up-to-date snapshot for 2025. For more precise estimates tailored to your location or family situation, consider using interactive calculators from sources like Care.com, SmartAsset, or the USDA.