Here's How Much It Costs To Raise A Child In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — If you’ve been weighing the costs of having a baby or getting a dog, either is going to cost you in Massachusetts, and it could break people who decide to do both.

That’s according to an analysis from Consumer Affairs that looked at the availability of child care and other costs of raising a child, and the amount of money Americans are spending to heap luxury on their dogs.

The analysis showed Massachusetts is the 1st most expensive state to raise a child and the 5th most expensive to raise a dog. It costs about $27,473 a year in Massachusetts to raise a child and about $2,759 a year to raise a dog.

On the other side of the spectrum, South Carolina is the most affordable state, with an average cost of raising a child at $8,360 a year, less than a third of the cost in Massachusetts.

Not only is the Bay State the most expensive to raise a child in, it also had the largest difference in costs between raising a child and a dog. In fact, for the cost of raising one child for a year, a Massachusetts resident could raise 10 dogs.

While a new pet will set consumers back less than having a baby, either could push them to the point they have to borrow money, Consumer Affairs said. Nationally, the analysis showed the expenses associated with owning a dog, an average of $2,491, are less than one-sixth the cost of raising a child, an average of $15,752.

Among other factors used in the research are costs of food, medical care, and child care and dog day care in each of the 50 states.

Consumer Affairs said its analysis showed the expenses associated with owning a dog nationally, an average of $2,491, are less than one-sixth the cost of the annual expenses related to raising a child, an average of $15,752.

Other insights include:

The most expensive state to raise a dog is Alaska, at $3,540 a year, while Arkansas is the cheapest place, at a cost of $2,262 a year.

Overall, the annual cost of raising a child is $15,752, while the cost of having a dog is $2,491 — a 532 percent difference, meaning that for every dollar it costs to have a dog, it costs $6.32 to have a child.

Child care, which on average costs parents nearly $12,000 a year, is the greatest of the expenses associated with raising a child. Expenses for an occasional pet sitter or boarding at a kennel are just 3.1 percent of that amount annually, Consumer Affairs said, adding that housing and transportation are other significant cost differences between children and dogs.

See Also: MA Named Leader Among Best States To Raise A Family, New Report Says