How much does it cost to raise a child, anywhere?
A currency-agnostic estimate based on a child’s share of household consumption, for countries where no national study exists.
Total, birth to 18
—
for a child
A child is about 0% of household consumption
A consumption-share model: it estimates a child’s share of household spending rather than applying a fixed national total, so it works in any currency. Rough by design.
What this result means
This works differently from our country pages. Rather than a national total, it estimates the share of your household’s consumption that a child represents, which is the method used when no local study exists. It is rough by design, and a country-specific page will always be better where one exists.
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
- Uses a consumption-share model rather than a measured national total, because most countries have no equivalent study.
- Assumes about 85% of household income goes to consumption, which varies considerably by country and income level.
- Currency is formatted, not converted. Enter income in your own currency.
- Where a country-specific page exists, it will be more accurate than this one.
Sources
- Consumer Expenditure Survey U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics