Calculator, Australia
How much does it cost to raise a child in Australia?
An estimate from birth to 18 in Australian dollars, scaled by household income and state.
Total, birth to 18
$306,000
for a child (Australia average)
What this means
Spread over eighteen years that is about $1,417 a month. Treat it as an order of magnitude: your own childcare and housing costs will move it more than any national figure.
A planning estimate. The national starting figure and the income and regional scaling are our own approximations, not figures from a single published study. Excludes higher education unless you tick the box.
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What this result means
Housing dominates, and the gap between states largely tracks housing costs. The university add-on covers living costs rather than HECS-HELP tuition, which is deferred.
Like every estimate on this site, this is an order of magnitude rather than a forecast. Your own childcare and housing costs will move it more than any national figure.
Assumptions and limits
- The national starting figure is our own planning estimate. It has not been traced to a single published national study, and we say so rather than cite one that does not contain it.
- Estimates are spread across eighteen years, not a bill due now.
- Higher education is excluded unless you tick the box.
- Income scaling and regional multipliers are broad approximations.
- Assumes a two-parent household.
- Currency amounts are not converted between countries.
Sources
- Geography
- Australia
No source is cited for the national starting figure because it is our own planning estimate, not a figure taken from a published study.
The decision behind the number
Money · QuestionHow much does it cost to raise a child?
The figure most often quoted is about $233,600 from birth to age 17, from the USDA, for a middle-income married-couple family with a child born in…
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