Family cost data
What does a child cost each month?
Our own estimates for a middle-income family in an average-cost European area. Free to cite with a link to this page.
Short answer
By our estimate, a child costs about €635 a month at age 0–2, €620 a month at age 3–5, €540 a month at age 6–11 and €610 a month at age 12–17. Childcare is the biggest cost for young children; food and activities take over as they grow.
Monthly cost per child by category (€)
| Category | Age 0–2 | Age 3–5 | Age 6–11 | Age 12–17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare & babysitting | 380 | 300 | 90 | 0 |
| Food | 110 | 140 | 190 | 250 |
| Clothes & shoes | 45 | 45 | 50 | 70 |
| Health & dental | 25 | 25 | 25 | 30 |
| Activities & sport | 15 | 40 | 80 | 100 |
| School costs | 0 | 20 | 55 | 70 |
| Phone, toys, pocket money & other | 60 | 50 | 50 | 90 |
| Total per month | 635 | 620 | 540 | 610 |
Download as CSV. Compare your own family in the child cost benchmark.
How we made these numbers
- Figures are SharedNest estimates for one child, in euros per month, built from typical European prices.
- They assume an average-cost area and a middle-income family. Lower-cost areas run about 15% lower, higher-cost areas about 25% higher.
- Housing is not included, because it is shared by the whole family.
- They are a starting point for planning, not official statistics.
Live totals from SharedNest
Anonymous counts, updated live. No personal data is shown.
- Families
- 9
- Expenses tracked
- 84
- Children profiles
- 2
- Family goals
- 1
How to cite
SharedNest, “Monthly cost per child by age”, trysharednest.com/data. Free to use with a link (CC BY 4.0).