Find Out The Actual Cost of Raising a Child From Infancy Until Adulthood

I can’t get enough of newborn babies. I know everyone doesn’t love kids, but I’m pretty excited to have kids of my own one day. But how expensive is it to have a child, and how does it compare to how much our parents and grandparents spent?

Childcare and education costs have soared since 1960. A babysitter was roughly $5.70 an hour in 1960 (adjusted for inflation). In 2011, a night out with a sitter costs almost double that.

The cost of childbirth is something else that’s increased a ton in recent years. It only ran you about $1,000 to give birth 50 years ago, but that’s increased tenfold since then.

Surprisingly, housing hasn’t changed much. It still accounts for about 1/3 the cost of raising a child for 18 years. Food costs have actually gone down –– once we adjust for inflation, it’s much cheaper to feed a child today. The same goes for clothing.

This infographic only covers childrearing costs from infants to 17-year-olds. How do parents afford to pay for things after that –– and is college really worth saving for? Find out more by checking out our post here.

 

Ayana

Ayana Lage graduated from the University of Florida with a journalism degree and a minor in communication studies. She lives in South Florida with her husband and spends her free time watching Netf...