💰 Cost of Raising a Child Calculator
See a personalised estimate of what it costs to raise a child to 18 — this year and cumulatively — scaled from a USDA's 2015 figures by your income group, region, and number of children, with a full category breakdown.
💰 Estimated cost of raising a child
| Category | Share | Ages 0 to 17 (per child) |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 28% | $84,126 |
| Food | 18% | $52,579 |
| Child care & education | 16% | $48,311 |
| Transportation | 15% | $45,073 |
| Health care | 9% | $27,585 |
| Clothing | 6% | $16,840 |
| Miscellaneous | 7% | $22,174 |
USDA's own figures (Expenditures on Children by Families, 2015, the latest edition), in 2015 dollars, so today's prices are higher. They are averages for married-couple families; a region scales the US figures by USDA's regional total. The categories and the 18 years each add up to the total shown. A rough educational estimate only, not financial advice: your own costs depend on your choices, child care and location.
Big number, many levers
The headline $233,610 hides how much the total moves with your circumstances. Income, where you live, and how many children you have each pull it up or down — sometimes dramatically. Seeing the category split shows where the money actually goes, and where you have room to plan.
Housing and childcare dominate the early years, food and transport grow with teenagers, and none of it includes college. Treat the figure as a planning tool: change the levers, compare scenarios, and start saving early.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to raise a child?
USDA's latest report (Expenditures on Children by Families, 2015) puts it at $233,610 from birth through age 17 for a middle-income, married-couple family, in 2015 dollars and before college. This calculator uses USDA's own figures by age and income group, scales them by USDA's regional totals and its one-child and three-or-more adjustments, and shows the result by year and by category. Prices have risen since 2015, so treat the figures as a floor in today's dollars.
Why does the number of children change the per-child cost?
Economies of scale. Families share housing, hand down clothes and gear, and buy in bulk, so each additional child costs less per head. USDA found that married-couple households with only one child spent an average of 27 percent more on that child, and those with three or more children spent 24 percent less per child, than two-child households.
What's included in the categories?
The total is split the way USDA reports it for your income group: housing (the biggest share), food, child care and education, transportation, health care, clothing, and miscellaneous. The categories add up to the total shown. Childcare in particular varies wildly — from near zero with family help to a huge line item with full-time daycare.
Does this include college?
No. The estimate covers birth to age 18 only. College or university tuition, if you choose to pay it, is a large separate cost on top of these figures and is worth planning for well in advance.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is a rough educational estimate only — NOT financial advice. It scales a national baseline and cannot know your circumstances. Real costs vary enormously with your choices and location, so use it to plan and compare scenarios, not to budget to the dollar.