Having a baby can be pretty expensive here in the U.S. and it doesn’t get cheaper as kids grow up. No matter where you live, parents have to cover the cost of food, childcare, health care and housing, but in some big cities, those things can cost double what they do in other areas. And new research reveals where people are paying the most and the least to raise their kids.
A new analysis from SmartAsset crunches the numbers to find out how much people across the country are spending to raise their children every year and where it’s the most and least expensive.
- The personal finance site compared costs in 48 of the largest U.S. cities and found that on average, families spend over $26-thousand a year on child-rearing costs.
- The research reveals that expenses can fluctuate by a lot from year to year, like in St. Louis, Missouri, the cost skyrocketed more than 20% in the last year. Parents there went from spending around $19,858 per year to $24,317 this year, mostly due to higher childcare costs.
- So, what’s the most expensive place to raise a child this year? The Boston metro area, where annual costs are more than $39-thousand ($39,221).
- As for the least expensive city to raise a kid this year, that honor goes to Birmingham, Alabama, where it costs just over $19-thousand ($19,082).
The Most Expensive Cities to Raise a Child in 2025
- Boston/Cambridge/Newton, Massachusetts - $39,221
- San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, California - $38,981
- San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, California - $37,867
- Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, Washington - $34,448
- Hartford/West Hartford/East Hartford, Connecticut - $33,149
The Least Expensive Cities to Raise a Child in 2025
- Birmingham, Alabama - $19,082
- Memphis, Tennessee - $19,264
- Nashville/Davidson/Murfreesboro/Franklin, Tennessee - $20,787
- Atlanta/Sandy Springs/Roswell, Georgia - $20,821
- San Antonio/New Braunfels, Texas - $20,945
Source: CBS News