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.

Runs in your browser · Amounts in EUR

Total, birth to 18

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for a child

Household income before tax

Bundesland

Show as

This is our only child Include university living costs

Where it goes

Housing —

Food —

Childcare & education —

Transport —

Healthcare —

Clothing —

Miscellaneous —

Estimates only, and excludes higher education unless you tick the box. Assumptions and sources are listed below the tool.

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

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
Kita fee and Beitragsfreiheit status by Bundesland Deutscher Bildungsserver