Cost of Raising a Child Calculator
Estimate the full cost of raising a child to 18, growing each year cost by inflation, in both future and today dollars.
Want to understand the concept, not just the number? Read The Real Cost of Raising a Child .
How it's calculated
Raising a child is one of the largest expenses a family takes on, spread over roughly 18 years. The yearly cost covers housing, food, childcare, healthcare, clothing, and everything else, and it rises over time as prices climb. This calculator takes your estimate of the cost today, grows it by inflation each year, and adds up the whole run to a single figure, which is often a surprise.
Take the default. A cost of $18,000 a year today, growing at 3 percent inflation over 18 years, totals about $421,460 by the time the child reaches adulthood. In today dollars, holding the cost flat in real terms, that is $324,000, or an average of $23,414 a year and about $1,951 a month once inflation is counted. The gap between the two totals is what inflation adds over 18 years, since a dollar of cost in year 18 is much larger than in year one.
These are averages, and your real number depends heavily on where you live, childcare choices, and healthcare. The single biggest swing factor for many families is childcare in the early years, which can rival a mortgage payment before school begins and then fall away. Note that this stops at 18 and does not include college, which is a separate and often large cost. Pair this with the 529 College Savings calculator to plan for that stage, and adjust the yearly cost here to match your own situation.
Assumptions
- Each year cost is the starting yearly cost grown by inflation, and the total is the sum across all the years. The today-dollars total holds the cost flat in real terms.
- College is not included, since it comes after these years and varies widely. Use the 529 College Savings calculator for that separately. This is an estimate, not a budget.
Last updated: 2026-08-08
These assumptions follow our general methodology.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to raise a child?
Estimates commonly land in the range of a few hundred thousand dollars from birth to 18, before college. The exact figure depends on your location, childcare needs, and healthcare. This calculator lets you set your own yearly cost and inflation to build a total that fits your family.
Does this include the cost of college?
No. College comes after these 18 years and varies enormously by school and aid, so it is left out to keep this estimate honest. Use the 529 College Savings calculator to plan for tuition separately, on top of the figure here.
What is the biggest cost of raising a child?
For many families it is childcare in the years before school, which can be one of the largest line items in the whole budget, sometimes rivaling housing. Housing and food are the other big ones. Costs often ease once children reach school age, then rise again in the teen years.
Why is the future total higher than today dollars?
Because inflation raises the cost each year, so a year of expenses late in childhood costs more in actual dollars than the same year of expenses today. The today-dollars total strips inflation out to show the cost in current purchasing power, which is easier to compare to your income now.