Parents know that raising a child is expensive, but exactly how much does the annual cost of food, childcare and other expenses add up to?
A new analysis from SmartAsset crunched data from 48 of the largest U.S. cities to find out how much money parents across the country are spending annually on raising their children. The answer: families on average spend more than $26,000 a year on child-rearing costs, the personal finance site found.
The study also found that such expenses can fluctuate sharply year to year. In St. Louis, Missouri, for example, the cost of raising a child has shot up over 20% over the last year.
Here are the cities where it’s the most and least expensive to raise a child.
Where is it most expensive to raise a child?
1. Boston—Cambridge—Newton, MA
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $39,221
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $37,758
- Percent change: 3.87%
2. San Francisco—Oakland—Fremont, CA
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $38,981
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $35,642
- Percent change: 9.37%
3. San Jose—Sunnyvale—Santa Clara, CA
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $37,867
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $34,415
- Percent change: 10.03%
4. Seattle—Tacoma—Bellevue, WA
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $34,448
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $30,781
- Percent change: 11.91%
5. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $33,149
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $32,135
- Percent change: 3.16%
Where is it least expensive to raise a child?
1. Birmingham, AL
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $19,082
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $20,754
- Percent change: -8.06%
2. Memphis, TN
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $19,264
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $18,677
- Percent change: 3.14%
3. Nashville-Davidson—Murfreesboro—Franklin, TN
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,787
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $20,412
- Percent change: 1.84%
4. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,821
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $22,095
- Percent change: -5.77%
5. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,945
- Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $21,014
- Percent change: -0.33%
