Childcare costs by country: what parents actually pay after subsidies
By Skyler Bissell · Updated August 2026 · computed from cityparity's engine data
Full-time preschool-age care, per month, net of standing subsidies, at each country's representative city. The structural split matters more than any single number: several countries cap the price by law for every family (Norway's maksimalpris, Sweden's maxtaxa, Berlin's free Kita), while US help is means-tested and ends at income cliffs. The family-level math, healthcare and leave included, is in what it really costs to raise kids.
| Country | Preschool / month (local) | ≈ USD / month | Annual subsidy counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | EUR 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Czechia | CZK 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Greece | EUR 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Hungary | HUF 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Israel | ILS 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Poland | PLN 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| South Korea | KRW 0 | $0 | None / built into price |
| Japan | JPY 6,000 | $38 | None / built into price |
| Sri Lanka | LKR 14,000 | $42 | None / built into price |
| Germany | EUR 60 | $70 | None / built into price |
| Italy | EUR 61 | $71 | None / built into price |
| Estonia | EUR 80 | $93 | None / built into price |
| Egypt | EGP 5,300 | $106 | None / built into price |
| Pakistan | PKR 30,000 | $108 | None / built into price |
| Ghana | GHS 1,200 | $109 | None / built into price |
| Austria | EUR 94 | $109 | None / built into price |
| India | INR 12,000 | $125 | None / built into price |
| Spain | EUR 123 | $143 | None / built into price |
| Philippines | PHP 9,000 | $146 | None / built into price |
| Bangladesh | BDT 18,000 | $147 | None / built into price |
| Norway | NOK 1,420 | $151 | None / built into price |
| Nigeria | NGN 220,000 | $162 | None / built into price |
| Sweden | SEK 1,547 | $163 | None / built into price |
| France | EUR 150 | $174 | None / built into price |
| Argentina | ARS 280,000 | $188 | None / built into price |
| Azerbaijan | AZN 350 | $206 | None / built into price |
| Georgia | GEL 550 | $211 | None / built into price |
| Indonesia | IDR 5,000,000 | $280 | None / built into price |
| Malaysia | MYR 1,200 | $296 | None / built into price |
| Morocco | MAD 2,800 | $302 | None / built into price |
| Kenya | KES 40,000 | $309 | None / built into price |
| Denmark | DKK 2,000 | $310 | None / built into price |
| Uzbekistan | UZS 3,700,000 | $312 | None / built into price |
| Finland | EUR 290 | $336 | None / built into price |
| Mexico | MXN 6,000 | $352 | None / built into price |
| Armenia | AMD 130,000 | $356 | None / built into price |
| South Africa | ZAR 6,000 | $370 | None / built into price |
| China | CNY 2,500 | $370 | None / built into price |
| Slovenia | EUR 323 | $374 | None / built into price |
| Peru | PEN 1,300 | $387 | None / built into price |
| Bulgaria | EUR 350 | $406 | None / built into price |
| Uruguay | UYU 16,500 | $412 | None / built into price |
| Vietnam | VND 11,000,000 | $421 | None / built into price |
| Thailand | THB 14,000 | $424 | None / built into price |
| Serbia | RSD 44,000 | $434 | None / built into price |
| Kazakhstan | KZT 203,000 | $440 | None / built into price |
| Canada | CAD 620 | $446 | None / built into price |
| Brazil | BRL 2,500 | $480 | None / built into price |
| Chile | CLP 439,000 | $480 | None / built into price |
| Kuwait | KWD 150 | $487 | None / built into price |
| Taiwan | TWD 16,000 | $503 | None / built into price |
| Colombia | COP 1,580,000 | $504 | None / built into price |
| Ecuador | USD 550 | $550 | None / built into price |
| Romania | RON 2,500 | $553 | None / built into price |
| Lithuania | EUR 500 | $579 | None / built into price |
| Portugal | EUR 500 | $579 | None / built into price |
| Turkey | TRY 28,000 | $585 | None / built into price |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 2,200 | $587 | None / built into price |
| Costa Rica | CRC 280,000 | $623 | None / built into price |
| Hong Kong | HKD 5,000 | $637 | None / built into price |
| Qatar | QAR 2,580 | $709 | None / built into price |
| New Zealand | NZD 1,200 | $710 | None / built into price |
| Ireland | EUR 683 | $792 | EUR 5,000 |
| UAE | AED 3,300 | $899 | None / built into price |
| Singapore | SGD 1,250 | $977 | SGD 3,000 |
| Netherlands | EUR 1,225 | $1,419 | EUR 6,300 |
| Australia | AUD 2,268 | $1,609 | AUD 1,580 |
| United Kingdom | GBP 1,550 | $2,100 | None / built into price |
| USA | USD 2,400 | $2,400 | None / built into price |
| Switzerland | CHF 2,600 | $3,210 | None / built into price |
Engine rates for full-time care ages one to five at each country's representative city, net of the standing subsidy our model counts. USD conversions drift with exchange rates.
More country data
Figures come from cityparity's per-city engine, computed from official sources with a per-value audit trail; currency conversions use rates from 2026-08-18 and drift daily. Treat any single number as a strong estimate and run your own. See the methodology.