Parents know that raising a child is expensive, but exactly how much does the annual cost of food, childcare and other expenses add up to?
A new analysis from SmartAsset crunched data from 48 of the largest U.S. cities to find out how much money parents across the country are spending annually on raising their children. The answer: families on average spend more than $26,000 a year on child-rearing costs, the personal finance site found.
The study also found that such expenses can fluctuate sharply year to year. In St. Louis, Missouri, for example, the cost of raising a child has shot up over 20% over the last year.
Here are the cities where it’s the most and least expensive to raise a child.
Where is it most expensive to raise a child?
1. Boston—Cambridge—Newton, MA
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $39,221Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $37,758Percent change: 3.87%
2. San Francisco—Oakland—Fremont, CA
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $38,981Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $35,642Percent change: 9.37%
3. San Jose—Sunnyvale—Santa Clara, CA
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $37,867Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $34,415Percent change: 10.03%
4. Seattle—Tacoma—Bellevue, WA
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $34,448Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $30,781Percent change: 11.91%
5. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $33,149 Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $32,135Percent change: 3.16%
Where is it least expensive to raise a child?
1. Birmingham, AL
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $19,082Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $20,754Percent change: -8.06%
2. Memphis, TN
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $19,264Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $18,677Percent change: 3.14%
3. Nashville-Davidson—Murfreesboro—Franklin, TN
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,787Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $20,412Percent change: 1.84%
4. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,821Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $22,095Percent change: -5.77%
5. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Total annual cost of raising a child in 2025: $20,945Total annual cost of raising a child in 2024: $21,014 Percent change: -0.33%
