Raising A Child Now Costs Over $300,000 In The U.S., Study Finds. See How Your State Compares.

CBS Bay Area

April 8, 2026

Raising a child comes with a long list of expenses, from child care to additional groceries. But how much does that add up to over 18 years?

A new estimate from LendingTree puts the price tag at $303,418 for 2026, or an average of $16,857 per year. It's the first time the figure has topped $300,000 since LendingTree began the analysis in 2023 and is up about 2% from a year earlier.

The calculation is based on typical expenses for a couple earning the U.S. median family income, about $100,000, and accounts for offsets from tax incentives. Because the analysis ends when a child turns 18, it does not include the cost of college, another major expense for parents.

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