Child Cost Calculator

As life insurance experts, we know that while many people take out policies to protect their loved ones, not everyone fully understands the true cost of raising a child if they are no longer around.
From everyday essentials like food and clothing through to bigger expenses such as childcare and education, our latest research investigates how much it costs to raise a child in the UK to the age of 18.

We analysed the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data and surveyed the UK’s parents to reveal how childcare and schooling choices shape the cost of raising a child.

• Upper cost: £500,982 per child. Based on full-time nursery costs, private school tuition, afterschool care and holidays

• Mid-cost: £194,246 per child. Based on part-time nursery costs, state school education, afterschool care and holidays

• Lower cost: £143,412 per child. Based on no pre-school childcare, state school education, no afterschool care and no holidays

For families using full time childcare and private schooling, raising a child can cost over £500,000. Even where parents use state education and no formal childcare, the total still reaches more than £143,000.

We’ve used this research to create our Child Cost Calculator, which helps you estimate how much raising a child could cost based on your family’s childcare choices, schooling decisions and personal circumstances:

Our Child Cost Calculator covers the costs from birth to 18, including childcare, schooling, housing, food, clothing, health, technology and holidays - all the expenses to factor in when raising a child.

It helps you build a realistic picture of what lies ahead and plan with confidence so you can plan ahead, whether that's budgeting for the day-to-day, or making sure you have the right life insurance in place to protect your family if the unexpected happens.

Report: The Price of Raising a Child in the UK in 2026

Key findings

Our research highlights the financial pressure families face at every stage of raising a child. Key findings include:

• Raising a child can cost between £143,000 and £500,000 when accounting for childcare, schooling, food, clothing, technology and holidays

• For families using part-time childcare, state schooling and after-school care, the cost could reach over £194,000 per child

• 72% of parents with a child under 12 months rely on grandparents or family for free childcare, and this wider family support can add up to more than £37,000 in financial help over a child’s first 18 years

• 71% of parents feel stressed about the financial pressures of raising their children, and 73% are anxious about the long-term impact on their finances

• Nearly half of UK families (44%) have less than two months of savings to fall back on if their income suddenly stopped

• Nearly 3 in 10 (29%) parents have decided not to have more children because of the cost, rising to 38% among parents aged 18-24

• 1 in 10 parents are reducing or pausing their pension contributions to keep up with the day-to-day costs of raising a child

Breaking down the cost of raising a child

While even the lower headline figure of over £143,000 to raise one child might feel alarming, behind the numbers are real families making real decisions.

Which nursery can we afford? Can we stretch to send them on the school trip this term? Do we take a holiday this year? For many families, these decisions are not theoretical. They are daily trade‑offs.

To understand how parents are navigating the financial pressures of raising children today, we surveyed over 1,000 parents across the UK. Here's what we found.

The early years

For many families the biggest costs come before a child even sets foot in a classroom. Childcare in the UK is among some of the most expensive in the world, and our research shows the pressure this puts on household budgets from the very start. More than half (51%) of parents say they rely on grandparents or family for help because formal childcare is too expensive. This reliance is even higher in a child’s first year, with 72% of parents with a child under twelve months turning to family support.

Younger parents are particularly reliant on their family network for help, with more than two thirds (68%) of parents aged 18-24 turning to their parents or relatives for childcare support. For many families this isn’t just a convenient arrangement; it’s often a financial necessity.

In the UK part-time nursery care can cost almost £6,000 a year, rising to over £13,000 a year for full-time care, which helps explain why many families lean on wider family support to get through the early years, particularly where local support is limited.

The school years

While state education is free, our research revealed that the additional costs that come with schooling are a financial pressure for many UK parents.

From uniforms, school trips, sports kits, school supplies, revision materials and more, education‑related expenses can be more than families expect.

These school‑related costs are also the most common unexpected expense parents have faced over the past 12 months, according to 16% of parents.

Technology costs follow closely behind, also at 16%, covering everything from replacing broken phones to repairing laptops needed for schoolwork. For families who choose fee paying education, costs rise sharply. This helps explain the wide gap between our lower and upper estimates for raising a child, £143,412 compared with £500,982.

The biggest, unexpected child related costs over the past 12 months

What families actually spend on their children each year

Beyond the costs of childcare and schooling, day-to-day spending on children can quickly add up. We asked parents to estimate what they spend on their children each year across key categories – here's where their money goes.

How much parents spend on different categories on their children each year

Holidays and family trips top the list at £604 a year on average - over £10,800 across 18 years. Clothing comes in second at £441 a year, followed by family days out (£411) and technology (phone contracts, devices and subscriptions) at £339.

The bank of gran and grandad: how much families really rely on wider family

Reliance on relatives is the highest in the very first year of a child’s life with almost three-quarters (72%) of parents with a child under 12 months relying on family for childcare. That falls to 57% once a child turns one and continues to fall as they grow older and become more independent.

The support typically comes from grandparents, but the help they provide isn’t just limited to childcare hours. Our research reveals that older generations often supplement their children’s income when they become parents, with financial family support from grandparents averaging out at £2,092 a year. Over the first 18 years of a child’s life, regular financial support from grandparents can amount to over £37,000 in total, a meaningful contribution, and one that many families would be lost without.

What families are cutting back on to afford children

When money is tight, parents have a tough decision to make, deciding what ‘little luxuries’ they can cut back on, to be able to keep their household running as normal.

Topping the list is holidays, with a third of parents (33%) saying these are the first thing to go. Scaling back on holidays, either abroad or within the UK, can save families thousands in a year. Many cut back on family days out, with more than a quarter (27%) of families saying they save money by forgoing day trips and attraction visits.

Our survey shows that parents seem more reluctant to cut back on enriching extras such as tutoring, learning support, sports clubs and music lessons.

Family related costs parents cut back on to offset child raising costs

It's not just their children's activities that take the hit when it comes to family budgeting; parents are making significant personal sacrifices too. Eating out and takeaways are the first to go, with more than two fifths (41%) cutting back on spending in this area. More than a third of parents (32%) are avoiding new clothing, and nearly a third (31%) have pulled back on socialising.

More worrying are the longer-term trade-offs. One in five parents (20%) are reducing their savings contributions, and one in 10 (10%) have cut back or paused their pension to keep up with the cost of raising their children.

Personal costs parents cut back on to offset child raising costs

The cost you can't put a number on

Ask most parents about the cost of raising children and they often think of money first. But our research reveals a second cost, an emotional one.

• 71% of parents feel stressed about the costs of raising their children

• 73% feel anxious about the long-term financial impact

• 72% feel guilty that they can’t always provide everything their children would like

• 50% feel judged by other parents because of what they can or can’t afford

The pressure doesn't stop at the basics either. More than two thirds (68%) of parents feel pressure to buy their kids the latest technology, phones, tablets, laptops and consoles, while 63% feel the pull to keep up with branded items, paid subscriptions and frequent upgrades. For many families, the financial pressure has become a source of social anxiety too.

How rising costs are shaping decisions to have children

For a growing number of parents across the UK, the financial reality of raising children isn’t just affecting how they spend, it’s also shaping some of the most important decisions of their lives.

• 29% have decided not to have any more children due to financial pressures

• 18% have decided to have fewer children than they originally wanted

• 9% have delayed having children because of the cost

Families earning between £25,000 and £35,000, close to the UK's average household disposable income of £36,700, are among those most likely to say they have decided to have fewer children because of high childcare costs.

How financially prepared UK families really are

Understanding what raising a child costs is one thing, having a financial buffer in place is another. And the gap between the two is wider than many people realise.

Whether it's an unexpected boiler breakdown, a medical bill or a period of redundancy, life has a habit of throwing costs at families when they can least afford it. However, our research shows that the average UK family's savings would cover just four months of essential costs if their income stopped. Nearly one in five (18%) have savings that would last less than a month, and a further 26% could stretch to only one or two months. Almost half (44%) of UK families are living with less than two months of financial breathing room.

How to future-proof your family’s finances

Seeing the full cost of raising a child laid out can feel overwhelming. But understanding the real numbers puts you in a stronger position to plan, whether that's making decisions around savings, or making sure your family is protected if the unexpected happens.

Life insurance is one of the most straightforward ways to give your family a financial safety net. If the worst were to happen, it ensures the people who depend on you most aren't left facing those costs alone.

Explore our life insurance options, to help protect your family’s financial future.

Methodology and sources

All figures are indicative averages and will vary by region, household income and family circumstances.

Cost estimates are based on ONS data and bespoke survey data, covering housing, food, clothing, childcare, education, technology, transport and leisure costs from birth to 18 years of age. Lower estimate assumes state school education throughout; upper estimate includes private schooling from the age of 4-18. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/april2023tomarch2024#data-on-family-spending

Childcare costs taken from Coram Childcare Survey 2025 https://www.coram.org.uk/resource/childcare-survey-2025/

Survey of 1,001 UK parents of children aged under 18 data sourced from Censuswide and conducted in March 2026.

UK average household disposable income figure: ONS, financial year ending 2024 (£36,700)