We talk a lot about housing costs. For many people who have children, the cost of childcare can be equivalent to another full rent/mortgage payment each month. Hotpads used data from Care.com’s Care Index and the Census Bureau, and found that the average monthly cost of child care in the U.S. – including at-home and in-center care – is $1,385 a month. Nationally, the median rent payment is $1,500 a month.
The below chart shows median rents and child care costs in the top 50 U.S. metros. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, weighted monthly child care costs are $1,495/month, while median rent is $1,695. Both the cost of child care and the median rent out-pace the national norm.
