Calculator, Germany
How much does it cost to raise a child in Germany?
An estimate from birth to 18 in euros, scaled by household income and Bundesland, including how far each state has made Kita free.
Total, birth to 18
148.960 €
for a child (Germany average)
National average: blends all four Kita-fee categories below. Checked against the Deutscher Bildungsserver overview of Kita fees and Beitragsfreiheit.
What this means
Spread over eighteen years that is about 690 € 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
Kita fees vary more than almost anything else in this calculation. Twelve of the sixteen states have some form of fee exemption, and the scope differs sharply between them, which is why the Bundesland selector changes the total.
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
- Germany
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Kita fee and Beitragsfreiheit status by Bundesland
Deutscher Bildungsserver · Germany
Twelve of the sixteen states have some form of fee exemption, and the scope differs sharply between them.
The source above supports the specific adjustment named in it. The national starting figure itself is our own planning estimate.
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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