Daycare costs are actually insane - breakdown inside

Dec 251 min read

Anyone else just sit down and do the math? Here's what we're paying monthly in the DC area:

Infant room (2yo): $2,400
Toddler room (4yo): $1,850
That's $51,600/year before taxes

My wife makes decent money but like... almost 40% of her gross goes to daycare. We've looked at nannies, in-home care, everything. This is apparently the cheapest option in our area. How is anyone supposed to have more kids? We're basically done at 2.

12 comments214 views

Comments(12)

RRaj P.RegularDec 25

51k before taxes is absolutely wild. And that's assuming your wife makes enough for it to make financial sense. Have you looked into nanny shares or in-home care as an alternative?

PPhil B.RegularDec 25

DC area daycare is absolutely brutal. that's basically a second mortgage. are you guys looking at any alternatives or is this just the reality of the area?

MMike F.RegularDec 25

the gap between infant and toddler pricing is wild though - looks like 4yo room is a bit cheaper? does it drop more for preschool or does it keep climbing?

MMatt S.RegularDec 25

51k/year before taxes is genuinely insane. that's almost what my wife makes gross in some years. how are people even affording this? do you have family help?

DDrew H.RegularDec 25

This is the part nobody talks about when they're romanticizing both parents working. The daycare industrial complex is real and it's crushing

NNeil C.New DadDec 25

this is why we went with an in-home daycare provider in our area. not ideal but saves us like 1500/month compared to corporate places. still expensive but less soul-crushing

DDwayne S.RegularDec 26

and if your wife makes less than 51k... which a lot of people do in that area... then literally her entire income is going to childcare. the math is broken

GGrant C.RegularDec 25

we looked at this exact breakdown and realized one parent staying home was cheaper. been sahd for 2 years now. obviously that's not an option for everyone but worth actually calculating the net benefit

NNolan J.RegularDec 26

DC area is brutal but this is genuinely why a lot of our friends just said one of them was gonna stay home for a few years. The math just doesn't work once you factor in taxes on top of that

NNick J.RegularDec 27

I feel this. We're at $48k/year in the Midwest and I thought that was insane til I saw what my cousin's paying in DC. you're basically paying a full college fund per year for daycare

AAllen K.RegularDec 25

wait does your wife's job come with benefits that justify this or are you just... eating that cost? genuinely asking because at some point the second income gets completely swallowed

CChad R.RegularDec 27

post the full breakdown if you're willing. i think a lot of people don't realize how bad it actually is and seeing the numbers might help normalize talking about this issue