How much does it cost to raise a child in Canada?
An estimate from birth to 18 in Canadian dollars, scaled by household income and province.
Total, birth to 18
—
for a child
Show as
Estimates only, and excludes higher education unless you tick the box. Assumptions and sources are listed below the tool.
What this result means
Provincial differences are large, driven mostly by housing and childcare. Quebec sits materially below the national average because of its subsidised childcare system.
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
- Estimates spread across eighteen years, not a bill due now.
- Higher education is excluded unless you tick the box.
- Regional multipliers are broad cost-of-living approximations.
- Assumes a two-parent household.
- Currency amounts are not converted between countries.
Sources
- Consumer Expenditure Survey U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics