Child care costs more than rent in these US cities; here’s where it’s the worst

Watch: Trump's answer on fixing child care crisis

At an Economic Club of New York forum, Donald Trump was asked what he would do about the child care crisis. Economists and activists later called his answer an "incoherent word salad" and "incomprehensible at best.'

Raising kids is a major expense, and a new study reveals that the cost of child care is higher than the average monthly rent payment in several U.S. cities. 

LendingTree researchers used 2024 Child Care Aware of America data to calculate average full-time center-based child care costs for two kids (an infant and a 4-year-old) in the 100 largest U.S. metros.

Child care costs were then compared to the cost of renting a two-bedroom housing unit in each metro based on fiscal-year 2026 data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

Child care for 2 kids exceeds monthly rent in most metros

By the numbers:

According to LendingTree research, the average monthly cost of full-time center-based infant care across the 100 largest metros was $1,282. Meanwhile, the average monthly cost to rent a two-bedroom unit across the same 100 metros was $1,716. That means that infant child care, on average, was 25.3% less expensive than rent. 

In contrast, the average monthly child care payment for an infant and a 4-year-old was 31.5% more than rent.

FILE: A child plays with wooden cubes with colorful letters on the floor in the room of a daycare. (Credit: Getty Images)

In fact, the data found that child care for two children exceeded monthly rent in the majority of U.S. metros — 85 of the 100 analyzed. And for five cities, child care costs were at least twice the average rent. 

Omaha, Nebraska ranked first with child care for an infant and a 4-year-old costing $2,891. Compared to the $1,368 monthly rent, child care costs were 111.3% more. 

Meanwhile, Milwaukee (110.9%) and Buffalo, New York (105.6%), also ranked near the top.

What they're saying:

"Spending almost $1,300 a month on child care is a massive burden for parents, but most families don’t have another choice," Matthew Schulz, a LendingTree analyst, said. "They can’t stay home. They don’t have family or friends they can rely on for child care. They have no other option but to put up a ton of money each month for child care. It makes an already difficult financial situation that much more challenging."

Where child care for 1 infant exceeds cost of rent

Dig deeper:

In 11 metros, the cost of infant care for just one child (infant) also exceeded the cost of rent. 

Infant care costs in Springfield, Massachusetts, were 15.1% higher than rent. While average monthly infant care was $1,996, the average rent for a two-bedroom was $1,734. 

Milwaukee (14.8%) and Wichita, Kansas (14.3%), have the next largest gaps. 

What they're saying:

"High child care costs may require some sacrifice, but it’s important to remember that day care isn’t a forever expense," Schulz continued. "With that in mind, it might make sense to focus on keeping housing costs down during that period in which you’re paying for child care regularly." 

Rent and child care costs

Big picture view:

Rent prices and child care costs have been rising for some time. 

According to Child Care Aware of America, the average cost of child care rose 13.3% between 2023 and 2024, from $11,582 per child to $13,128. That’s up an even more significant 35.5% from 2019.