Buying a home already comes with plenty to consider, like price and location, but if you have children or plan to start a family, childcare should also be part of the equation.
Some parents pay upward of $45,000 a year in childcare, and while a lot of that has to do with the quality of childcare, a big part of the price also depends on where you’re located.
Redfin, in partnership with childcare marketplace and data platform Winnie, calculated the share of income spent on childcare costs combined with housing costs across the 100 most populous metros.
Across the country, families spend 52% of their annual income on housing and childcare combined. In some cities on the list, that number is above 90%.
It may not be surprising that more expensive regions of the country charge higher childcare costs; however, in areas where families are earning more, childcare costs remain taxing. In a city like San Jose, California, where the median household income is $176,401 — more than double the national median of $83,730 in 2024 — the share of income spent on childcare and housing is 83.1%.
“A high-paying job in San Francisco or Los Angeles can get wiped out fast once you factor for rent and day care, while a lower-paying job in a smaller metro might actually leave your family with more disposable income,” Redfin’s chief economist Daryl Fairweather told Business Insider. “Like anything else, it’s ultimately a tradeoff and the decision should depend on your personal circumstances.”
On the other hand, places where families spend the smallest share of their income on childcare aren’t necessarily in places where homes are the cheapest.
“A cheap house doesn’t always translate to a cheap life,” Fairweather said. “We’re seeing metros where housing is a steal, but childcare is eating up a big portion of the family budget, and vice versa in places like San Francisco. Families need to look at the whole picture before they decide where to plant roots.”
Read on to see where childcare and housing costs take the smallest and biggest cuts of your paycheck.
Metros where childcare and housing consume the smallest share of family income
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10. Dayton, OH
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9. Louisville, KY
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8. Tulsa, OK
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7. Akron, OH
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6. Baton Rouge, LA
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5. St. Louis, MO
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4. Warren, MI
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3. Des Moines, IA
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2. Oklahoma City, OK
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1. Little Rock, AR
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Metros where childcare and housing consume the biggest share of family income
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10. Riverside, CA
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9. Miami, FL
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8. Springfield, MA
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7. Oxnard, CA
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6. San Diego, CA
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5. San Jose, CA
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4. Anaheim, CA
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3. San Francisco, CA
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2. New York, NY
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1. Los Angeles, CA
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