The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,896 per year ($991 a month) for infants and $10,158 per year ($847 a month) for toddlers. Prices for infant daycare can range from $5,760 to $20,880 a year ($480 to $1,740 monthly), according to ChildCare Aware of America.

How much does childcare cost per day?

Overall, the average child care cost for one child in 2020 was $612/week for a nanny (up from $565/week in 2019), $340/week for a child care or day care center (up from $182/week) and $300/week for a family care center (up from $177/week).

Why is child care so expensive?

Like health care and education, child care requires lots of domestic salaries, which means that its costs will continuously rise faster than overall inflation. The industry is highly regulated, perhaps reasonably so, given the vulnerability of the clientele—which is the second key driver of child-care costs.