Center-based infant care in San Francisco County cost $607 a week in 2022, the latest year of the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices. That is about $742 a week, or $38,559 a year, in August 2026 dollars, using the BLS CPI for day care and preschool (factor 1.2224). Dallas County’s median was $194 a week, about $12,332 a year today. Shelby County (Memphis) and Davidson County (Nashville) carry the identical price, $211.67. NDCP prices can come from a state rate zone that covers several counties. These are county medians for licensed care; your provider’s price can differ. Look up any county in the childcare cost calculator.
What the data covers
Source: DOL Women’s Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2008–2022 data file. These are median full-time weekly prices for each county (or the state rate zone it is assigned to), by care type and age group, taken from state childcare market-rate surveys.
Current dollars: the BLS CPI-U for day care and preschool rose from a 2022 average of 330.305 to 403.749 in August 2026, a factor of 1.2224. Counties with only a 2020 price use 1.2945, and 2021 prices use 1.2707.
Age groups (NDCP): infant 0–23 months, toddler 24–35 months, preschool 36–54 months, school-age.
Principal county: each metro uses its principal city’s county. That is Kings County (Brooklyn) for New York, Suffolk for Boston and the District of Columbia for Washington.
Center-based infant care: major metros
| Metro (county) | NDCP weekly price | In 2026 dollars, weekly | 2026 dollars, 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco (San Francisco Co.) | $606.61 | $742 | $38,559 |
| Boston (Suffolk Co.) | $590.00 | $721 | $37,503 |
| Washington, DC | $490.00 | $599 | $31,147 |
| Seattle (King Co.) | $478.45 | $585 | $30,413 |
| Denver (Denver Co.) | $429.95 | $526 | $27,330 |
| Minneapolis (Hennepin Co.) | $390.00 | $477 | $24,790 |
| New York (Kings Co.) | $300.00 | $367 | $19,069 |
| Chicago (Cook Co.) | $278.33 | $340 | $17,692 |
| Phoenix (Maricopa Co.) | $270.00 | $330 | $17,162 |
| Los Angeles (Los Angeles Co.) | $256.98 | $314 | $16,335 |
| Philadelphia (2020 price) | $235.00 | $304 | $15,819 |
| Austin (Travis Co.) | $229.00 | $280 | $14,556 |
| Nashville (Davidson Co.) | $211.67 | $259 | $13,455 |
| Memphis (Shelby Co.) | $211.67 | $259 | $13,455 |
| Atlanta (Fulton Co.) | $205.00 | $251 | $13,031 |
| Miami (Miami-Dade Co.) | $200.00 | $244 | $12,713 |
| Dallas (Dallas Co.) | $194.00 | $237 | $12,332 |
| Houston (Harris Co.) | $185.00 | $226 | $11,759 |
| Detroit (Wayne Co.) | $177.20 | $217 | $11,264 |
Prices are 2022 unless noted. Philadelphia County has no 2022 price, so its 2020 price is adjusted by 1.2945. MoveMath has checked Los Angeles County’s $256.98 against DOL’s raw file. It is the published 2022 figure, though it is below LA’s own 2020 price.
Center-based preschool (36–54 months)
| Metro | NDCP weekly | 2026 dollars, weekly | 2026 dollars, 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $477.04 | $583 | $30,323 |
| Washington, DC | $392.50 | $480 | $24,949 |
| Seattle | $389.70 | $476 | $24,771 |
| Boston | $350.00 | $428 | $22,248 |
| Denver | $332.00 | $406 | $21,104 |
| New York | $259.00 | $317 | $16,463 |
| Los Angeles | $224.99 | $275 | $14,301 |
| Phoenix | $210.00 | $257 | $13,349 |
| Austin | $209.00 | $255 | $13,285 |
| Chicago | $189.17 | $231 | $12,025 |
| Atlanta | $179.00 | $219 | $11,378 |
| Dallas | $175.00 | $214 | $11,124 |
| Detroit | $164.65 | $201 | $10,466 |
| Miami | $155.00 | $189 | $9,853 |
| Nashville | $146.35 | $179 | $9,303 |
Home-based care is usually cheaper
Licensed family child care homes charged less than centers for infants in 333 of 360 metros with both prices. The exceptions include Los Angeles ($348 against $314 a week in 2026 dollars) and Detroit ($223 against $217).
| Metro | Center infant, weekly (2026 $) | Home infant, weekly (2026 $) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $742 | $483 | $258 |
| Denver | $526 | $273 | $253 |
| Seattle | $585 | $424 | $161 |
| New York | $367 | $306 | $61 |
| Austin | $280 | $252 | $28 |
See center-based vs home-based childcare cost for the full comparison.
Where the data is missing or older
- No NDCP price in any year from 2018 to 2022: every Indiana and New Mexico county (including Indianapolis and Albuquerque) and most of Missouri. MoveMath budgets leave childcare out there and say so; they do not count it as $0.
- Only 2020 or 2021 prices: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh), Arkansas, Vermont, and the Kansas City and St. Louis principal counties. These are adjusted with that year’s CPI factor and labelled with their year.
Why prices vary so much
Childcare is labor-intensive, so prices follow local wages and rents. They also follow state rules on staff-to-child ratios and staff qualifications, which are stricter for younger children. Prices in the NDCP are medians across licensed providers. A specific center can sit well above or below its county figure.
How childcare fits a moving budget
For the standard couple on MoveMath’s metro pages (two adults, one toddler, $110,000), center-based care is usually the largest cost after rent and taxes. San Francisco’s infant price, at $38,559 a year in 2026 dollars, is more than a year of HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in 383 of the 387 metros.
Enter your county, ages and care type in the childcare cost calculator. The cost-of-living calculator includes childcare in a full two-city comparison.
Related: San Francisco cost of living, Dallas cost of living, California.