Your Childcare Bill Is Bigger Than Your Rent. Here's the Proof.
In 85 of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, childcare for two young children costs more than rent. The average annual childcare bill for two kids: $29,000. This isn't a childcare problem. It's a housing crisis in disguise.
We talk about the housing crisis constantly. The impossible rent. The unaffordable mortgages. The cities priced out of reach for ordinary families. What we talk about less: for families with young children, the childcare bill is often bigger than the rent.
The Numbers
$29,000/year average childcare cost for two children
In 85 of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, childcare for two young children costs more than the average local rent. Average annual rent: $17,000. Average childcare: $29,000. In some cities, families pay more than double their rent for care. (Redfin / Child Care Aware, 2025)
In Canada, median infant care fees in Toronto exceed $900/month. In Vancouver, they're higher. In cities without $10-a-day access, families with two children in childcare can pay $2,000–$3,500 per month — more than many of them pay for housing.
What It Actually Does to Families
When childcare costs more than rent, families make impossible choices. One parent — usually the mother — reduces hours or leaves the workforce entirely. The family's income drops. The rent is still due. The parent who left the workforce falls behind on career progression, pension accumulation, and earning potential. Years later, if the relationship ends, she's the one left financially exposed.
“Childcare costs rising faster than inflation isn't a coincidence. It's the result of a market with no ceiling and a government that hasn't built the floor.”
In 2020, a family could plan around childcare costs. By 2025, U.S. childcare prices had risen 29% — roughly 7% per year — while wages for most working mothers grew far slower. The market for childcare is broken: a service families can't opt out of, in a market with no price controls, facing a workforce that's underpaid and burning out.
This is solvable. Quebec's $10-a-day program has existed since 1997. Countries across Europe have operated universal childcare for generations. The will is the only thing missing.
Becky Tsadilas
Founder, Momera — Movement of Mothers Ending Poverty. Based in Cochrane, Alberta. hello@momera.ca