Cost of Childcare Relative to Rent

Sending two children to daycare costs more than rent in 14 of the 20 metro areas listed here. The only exceptions are Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Tampa, and San Diego.

For this analysis, childcare cost data from the U.S. Department of Labor was used, and estimated March 2025 costs using inflation metrics. March 2025 rents are from Redfin’s median asking rent data for the three months ending March 31, 2025. Included in this analysis are the 20 U.S. metro areas for which Redfin have sufficient childcare and inflation data.
Chart: Steve Madden / Staff ArtistSource: redfin.com